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[JaimeC]

https://ridermagazine.com/2022/03/01/charging-across-america-challenge-unveils-record-attempt-and-sponsors/

[DonTom]

https://ridermagazine.com/2022/03/01/charging-across-america-challenge-unveils-record-attempt-and-sponsors/

Getting across the country is often easier on an electric motorcycle than a 200 mile/300 Km trip.  Like the one I went on two days ago, which required a gas bike. No charge stations anywhere on the entire route. And most of that was in CA, the state with the most charge stations.


The real problem with electrics isn't the distance, it's where you trying to go.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[HVMoto]

I live in the mountains (California) and out of curiosity I just looked up the two nearest charge stations to my home. One is 36.9 miles and the other is 38.3 miles. That's better than I expected. In comparison, the nearest gas is 30.3 miles.

[DonTom]

I live in the mountains (California) and out of curiosity I just looked up the two nearest charge stations to my home. One is 36.9 miles and the other is 38.3 miles. That's better than I expected. In comparison, the nearest gas is 30.3 miles.

That's a little too close. Best to have chargers around 50 miles from home in every direction.


If you charge at home, you have no need for charger stations to be any closer.  There are several charge stations right here in Auburn, CA that I have never used and never will, too close to be of any use.


Gas stations are different. You want them close to home. Not many have a gas station in their garage.


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[togo]

The ideal distance is about 80% of your battery capacity.  It's fine to have chargers closer, but since my Energica goes 100 miles at 70 mph and lithium batteries charge fast to about 80 or 85%, what I'm looking for is the first stop at 80 miles and subsequent stops about 70-80 miles apart, 100 if I'm willing to baby it sometimes, 120 if I'm only interested in ideal conditions.

[DonTom]

The ideal distance is about 80% of your battery capacity.  It's fine to have chargers closer, but since my Energica goes 100 miles at 70 mph and lithium batteries charge fast to about 80 or 85%, what I'm looking for is the first stop at 80 miles and subsequent stops about 70-80 miles apart, 100 if I'm willing to baby it sometimes, 120 if I'm only interested in ideal conditions.

Sure, it depends on the vehicle, but I think 50 miles would work well for most electric motorcycles, but too close for most EV cars.


Even on your Energica +, I would want 50 miles because of possible wind and other weather conditions, hills etc.  and then you can drive at a faster speed as well.  And CCS is unreliable at best. Better to be safe than sorry.



-Don-  Auburn, CA

[NEW2elec]

And they're off!

You can follow the Zero Fun YT channel and here:   CAAC2022.com

Be safe guys.

[NEW2elec]

Some bad news for Bob and the east coast team.
A semi crossed lanes and hit the support truck and jackknifed, wrecking the support truck.  Bob and the whole support team are fine and the semi driver should be fine but was taken to a hospital. 

Needless to say Bob has dropped out of the challenge but wants to try again at a later date.

Steven is making record time though and we wish him well.

[Stonewolf]

Damn, that's pretty awful but at least everyone is ok!

[Stonewolf]

The ideal distance is about 80% of your battery capacity.  It's fine to have chargers closer, but since my Energica goes 100 miles at 70 mph and lithium batteries charge fast to about 80 or 85%, what I'm looking for is the first stop at 80 miles and subsequent stops about 70-80 miles apart, 100 if I'm willing to baby it sometimes, 120 if I'm only interested in ideal conditions.

I tend to view it in 3 bands, assuming you're measuring from one overnight AC charge to another:

• If your whole trip is inside the range you can use the whole battery
• Otherwise the start and end legs you can use up to 80%
• Intermediate legs you can use up to 60%

That way you don't DC charge from less than 20% or beyond 80%, at least not deliberately anyway. I've been tracking my mileage to get a handle on how far it'll go and my average for those bands is 115/92/69 (nice) on my EMCE Ribelle but you can of course ride slower and various other tactics to boost that.

[NEW2elec]

Well Steven did it.  New Electric Cannonball record holder.  He finished in 111 hours 30 minutes compared to the old record of 178 hours 17 minutes.
That's 67 hours faster, nearly 3 days less.

Steven you're a damn machine man!

Congrats, now get some rest.

[Stonewolf]

Awesome! Smashed!

[Stonewolf]

It's a bit of a shame there isn't more hype and media about this.

I'm not on Facebook or Instagram so there's basicly nothing on Twitter about it and no videos on YouTube since Stevens first update.

[Richard230]

It's a bit of a shame there isn't more hype and media about this.

I'm not on Facebook or Instagram so there's basicly nothing on Twitter about it and no videos on YouTube since Stevens first update.

It seems to me that electric motorcycles, at least in the U.S., are pretty much invisible to the public, the press and all politicians. Everyone likes to discuss electric cars, but I can't recall any mention of electric motorcycles in my newspaper, general interest magazines, or radio or TV news.   

You would think that most people and politicians who complain about the noise that some ICE motorcycles make as they go roaring though their neighborhoods would be really interested in promoting the sale of electric motorcycles. But that doesn't appear to be the case to me. 

[Stonewolf]

I meant more from the challenge themselves, no presence on twitter, no video updates since a day into the trip. If I hadn't read it on here I wouldn't have know about the crash or Stevens time.