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[adaviel]

I just bought a new 2017 FXS.
The handbook says that the charger will not work below 0C.

I live in Canada. 0C is not cold - it's T-shirt weather for spring skiing. I break out the long underwear for -30C.
Is this really true - that the bike won't charge below freezing ? My Nissan Leaf EV has a battery heater; I think the only issue is storing it unused for extended periods of sub-zero temperature.

What are your experiences ?

UPDATE
I also wrote to Zero support. They pointed out that they had updated their charging guidelines at
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/owner-resources/. That says that the power pack will work between -20C and +50C, with reduced performance outside -10C to +40C. They also suggest bringing modular packs indoors to charge, something that's not possible with a car.

[Starpower]

This has been a real PITA for me as my '13 won't charge if my battery is below 45F. This is a common winter temp here. If I expose the battery to the sun for about 30 min. it will take a charge. If I knew where the sensor was I would hack it. Anyone know?

[ctrlburn]

The battery warms while in use, so plug in right after use and the battery won't reach ambient temp.
I've ridden in the 20's (F) and charged right after without a problem.

Not quite Canada but Aerostich added a battery heating blanket and rode their FX all winter.
https://rideapart.com/articles/aerostich-testing-zero-fx-reliability-putting-icy-hell

[Electric Terry]

This is no different than your cellphone or laptop lithium battery.  If you store those well below freezing they will not charge either.  Lithium can explode if you force charge it when too cold.  The molecules inside don't want to move at low temps and something has to give if you try to force electrons and they aren't going anywhere.   You can charge lithium cold but it has to be at an extremely slow rate.  And unfortunately the stock Calex is not adjustable or you could turn it down to 50 watts and perhaps charge a little colder than the current limit of 32F/0C

Best to pull it inside at night if you can or charge it right after riding it.  Even if its well below freezing, after you ride, the battery will have enough heat to charge.  If you are parking it for winter, make sure its about 50-60% and no need to even plug it in, so don't worry if its too cold to charge.  It can wait till spring.

[Skidz]

Last winter we didn't go lower than -10 here, so I just hooked it up right after riding. The charger and charge current will keep the battery warm during the charge... Havn't had a moment the charger refused due to the cold weather,

[Richard230]

Would turning on the ignition for a while warm up the batteries enough for them to charge when the bike is very cold? That is what is recommended it you have a 12V lithium battery in an IC motorcycle so that it can be started when it has been sitting outside all night in sub-freezing weather. 

[Ndm]

If it is the single removable battery just bring it inside and warm it before charging, just a suggestion from another Canuck

[Doug S]

Would turning on the ignition for a while warm up the batteries enough for them to charge when the bike is very cold? That is what is recommended it you have a 12V lithium battery in an IC motorcycle so that it can be started when it has been sitting outside all night in sub-freezing weather. 

That's also what my friend who comes from Chicago used to do on the really cold days out there. He'd pull on the headlights for a few minutes to get the battery warmed up (it happens pretty quickly because when it's cold the battery's internal resistance is high and the headlight's resistance is low), then the battery could crank out enough amps to start the car.

I suspect it would work, for the same reason. The battery's cold, so its internal resistance is high, so supplying enough current to run the headlight would cause a fair amount of heat, raising the battery temp pretty quickly. Then as other people have said, the heat generated by charging would probably be enough to keep it within range. It'd be worth a shot if you couldn't get it to charge, anyhow.

[Electric Terry]

Would turning on the ignition for a while warm up the batteries enough for them to charge when the bike is very cold? That is what is recommended it you have a 12V lithium battery in an IC motorcycle so that it can be started when it has been sitting outside all night in sub-freezing weather. 

No unfortunately on the Zero running the headlight will not heat the batteries.  On a typical 12V 3Ah Shorai Lithium Motorcycle Starting battery, the headlight pulls about 55 watts.  The battery is 36 watt hours, so the battery is discharging at about 1.5C rate for 5 minutes to warm enough to start the bike.

On a Zero that has 13,000 watt hours, to get the same hearting effect, you would need about 20,000 watts of draw.  This is about the power to go 80-85 mph, and you would indeed be able to heat the batteries riding 85 mph for 5 minutes.  Or you could ride 70 mph for 10 minutes.  But the 55 watt headlight could only heat the battery if you had about 300 of them on at the same time.

[Zee]

Well this Canuk is a heavy sled head and lives in northern ontario and owns 2 Zero's 2010MX & 2015FX and rides all year long as long as the roads are clear. The bikes are stored in a non heated garage and it takes full battery awernes and charging smarts to keep everything going all winter. The temperature inside the garage is usually 10 degree's c warmer then outside and I automatically plug every bike in after every discharge when the batteries are still warm so the FX is usually fully charged when I start a ride. When I decide to go for a ride and it is -20c outside I will first go for a 20% discharge were the bike will run like a lame duck. Then I will put the bike back on charge  with extra charger while the batteries are warmed up and when the bike is back at full charge then the bike wakes up a bit but still not at full summer power but enough power to tickle my fancy. Cant wait for battery technology to advance so i can convert my sled . Also be aware the the battery will shut down with up to 20% power left if you are pulling steady on it in the cold weather cheers

[togo]

Thanks for sharing those cold weather tips, Zee!  They belong in the wiki, so I pasted them at https://zeromanual.com/index.php/Common_Problems#Loss_of_Range

Obviously that needs to be reorganized a bit, we'll get to it later. : - )

[Doctorbass]

Like it was poimted out.. i think the best solution is to plug it immediatly after each ride.. that way the charging happen when battetry is still warm.

Doc

[togo]

Well this Canuk is a heavy sled head and lives in northern ontario and owns 2 Zero's 2010MX & 2015FX and rides all year long as long as the roads are clear. The bikes are stored in a non heated garage and it takes full battery awernes and charging smarts to keep everything going all winter. The temperature inside the garage is usually 10 degree's c warmer then outside and I automatically plug every bike in after every discharge when the batteries are still warm so the FX is usually fully charged when I start a ride. When I decide to go for a ride and it is -20c outside I will first go for a 20% discharge were the bike will run like a lame duck. Then I will put the bike back on charge  with extra charger while the batteries are warmed up and when the bike is back at full charge then the bike wakes up a bit but still not at full summer power but enough power to tickle my fancy. Cant wait for battery technology to advance so i can convert my sled . Also be aware the the battery will shut down with up to 20% power left if you are pulling steady on it in the cold weather cheers

Have you looked at seedling heaters?  Like they use in greenhouses?  They can be used with thermostat units and might bring a battery pack to a healthier temperature before riding.