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[calamarichris]

I've found some scatterings in here on this and gleaned some excellent information, but still have a few questions. If I missed the thread or link, I'd appreciate a hotlink. (Perhaps these threads deserve stickying?)
Please do not respond with "Just ride it, enjoy yourself, and it will last you long enough." I tend to develop emotional attachments to my steeds over time and usually get 100K+ out of them, and do not trade them in every 1.5-2 years. I perform my own oil changes, valve adjustments, replace my own chains, and keep a detailed maintenance log, which only exacerbates this irrational attachment (I prefer to call it Mechanical Empathy.)   To my questions:

~Does the temperature gauge on my '18 Zero SR with EV charge tank show the battery temp or the motor temp?

~To maximize battery life, what's a good ceiling temp?  Sometimes I ride sustained freeway speeds (80+mph here in CA) and the temp gets above 160F. I've seen NewZeroland's footage when he started having trouble when his temp got above 215.

~If the temp is hot from a freeway jaunt, would it be beneficial to let it cool before plugging it in?

~Will torque launches (presumably faster, hotter discharges) shorten useful battery life?

And for those who are searching, like me, I found this thread most illuminating:  Slow charging vs. Fast Charging.  Turns out keeping it charged to 100% and always ready is worse for the battery life than temps.

Many thanks for sharing your knowledge! Safe riding out there.

[Richard230]

My understanding is that the temperature displayed on the Zero's screen is that of the motor.

I can't recall anyone who has said that their Zero battery pack has degraded due to age or mileage. 

I keep my Zero fully charged to 100% and it still seems OK.  I gave my 2014 S to my daughter in 2017. For the first three years I kept the charger plugged in all of the time on that bike.  She also keeps it charged to 100%, although following Zero's recommendation, does not keep the charger on after reaching 100%.  Her battery pack still charges to 100% and seems to be functioning as well as it did when the bike was built in December 2013.  However, the charger did die and had to be replaced with a new model. Perhaps keeping it plugged in all the time as originally recommended by Zero damaged the charger more than the battery pack.     My feeling is that you don't need to be concerned how you ride your Zero in order to get the best battery life out of the bike.  Zero has done that for you. 

I might add that the brochure for my bike claimed that the battery pack would last for 455,000 miles before reaching 80% capacity.  I don't know about you, but I don't plan to keep my Zero that long.   

I think your Zero will shut down if either the motor or the battery pack gets too hot. If the battery pack is not cool enough it will not start charging until it reaches a safe temperature.

[Crissa]

Good questions!  I know some of the answers, but not others.

~Does the temperature gauge on my '18 Zero SR with EV charge tank show the battery temp or the motor temp?

I don't have a charge tank, but there are separate temperature sensors which you can access in the app for battery, charger, motor.  According to the manual, there are multiple in the battery pack and more on the control board, which we can't access.

~To maximize battery life, what's a good ceiling temp?  Sometimes I ride sustained freeway speeds (80+mph here in CA) and the temp gets above 160F. I've seen NewZeroland's footage when he started having trouble when his temp got above 215.

That's a good question that I don't have an answer to.  There is a warning light if it's too high.

~If the temp is hot from a freeway jaunt, would it be beneficial to let it cool before plugging it in?

Yes.  This is why the Leaf slows charging rates when it heats up (there was a kerfluffle you could Google for.)  The manual says that my Zero won't charge if the internal temperature is over 131F for the ZF8.5 for instance.

~Will torque launches (presumably faster, hotter discharges) shorten useful battery life?

Not meaningfully. 

Most of what will hit it are: 

• Leaving it charged at 100% or 0%
• charging it while extremely hot or cold
• letting it get extremely hot or cold
• not charging it up to 100% monthly (Zero's charging system only does cell balancing at 100%)
• Running at high speed for long periods (freeway or race driving)

This is the same for pretty much every EV, although Zeros have a very rudimentary charge system.  I suspect #1 is the biggie, while #2-3 is not a big issue unless that's done frequently.  #4 is in their new charging guidance.

I kinda hope someone will share any clues on how to tap into the app or Zero so I could build a charge-stand to turn off the power at 80% regularly.  I do know how to program Arduinos and install relays

For me, I start off with a half mile of full-regen (I live up a hill) so I'm expecting I really shouldn't charge it to max all the time.  I noticed that if I shut off charging at 90% sometimes it reports 100% in the morning.  I don't know if this is battery rebound or cell imbalance.

-Crissa

PS: PS, this is pretty old:    But it's good advice.  Turns out rapid charging isn't bad, as long as the battery stays cool when you do it, and while short accelleration can draw down, it's those freeway high-speeds that really put it under heat-stress.  Basically, it all comes back to heat, and trying to manage it from changing too wildly.

[calamarichris]

Thank you, Richard and Crissa! I appreciate the guidance and encouraging news.
Looks like I'm going to have to invest in some suspension mods, as this battery & motor may be around a while.
The rear shock is already a little noodly; I'm 190 lbs, and frequently ride with passenger, dog, and Givi top case.
Hopefully Ohlins makes a suitable shock for this bike, and RaceTech has springs & valving for these forks.
Had the SR since Jan '18 and just about 12,000 miles on the clock. It's a neat bike and I'm almost as frustrated at having to learn a new way after spending 20 years learning valve adjustments, carb synchronizing, and other aspects of ICE maintenance, as I am that mankind squandered so much time, focus, and resources perfecting ICE-age technology.
Safe riding!