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[Richard230]

I might have been wrong about the trip wpm display.  I was taking a guess at what I thought it said on the display, as I did not write it down last night.

I would say that my average speed was 45 mph.  That included rides of 35 mph up hill and 50 mph down hill.  My guess is that I went up and down about 3000 feet in elevation during my ride. If there was any regen going back into the battery, I didn't see it on the display.  Most of the time I was running in "sport" mode.  I switched to "eco" mode during the last 20 miles, but I don't think what mode you are in makes much difference as far as range goes.  It is your speed and not the mode that determines the power used.

The worst part of it was coming back on Highway 1, along the coast, where I needed to keep up a decent pace to keep from getting run over by vehicles doing 65 in that 55 limit highway.  I was pushing against a 20 mph wind and that run really sucked the juice out of the battery pack.  By the time I got home, I was kind of a nervous wreck.  I don't plan to push the envelope like that again.     I'll let someone else try to beat my "record" on a stock Zero S.   

[oobflyer]

Nice Ride!

As far as the convenience store clerk... I've found that most people don't have the slightest idea about how much electricity costs. I stopped at a convenience store/gas station a few years ago (on my Vectrix) - the manager agreed to let me charge, but obviously didn't believe me when I said it wouldn't take more than 50 cents in electricity. I paid $5 to charge for 1/2 hour (just topping off the batteries before a return trip).
I didn't mind too much - they unplugged an ice-machine on the sidewalk to accommodate me - but that was expensive electricity.

140 miles on a single charge!  I'm jealous  ;-)

[ultrarnr]

Richard230,

Thanks for all the details here. It really is hard to compare one ride to another. I am trying to keep details on longer rides in order to help plan future rides. Very few rides allow you to stay at a certain MPH. Nearly all involve a mix of speed limits. I pay more attention to average Wh/mile instead of just MPH. I also saw the Wh/mile gauge jump around continously and  could not see anything useful from that feature so I switched to average Wh/mile. Defintely a better option. If I am averaging 55-60 MPH I can expect to see typically 102-107 Wh/mile but have seen as low as 96 Wh/mile. When I am on US-1 going to Raleigh which is 70 MPH (and 35-45 miles) I can expect to see 150 Wh/mile. Pushing 80 MPH I can expect 167 Wh/mile. But it doesn't take very far at 35-45 MPH to bring those numbers down a lot once I get off US-1.

So riding 140 miles at about 75 Wh/mile makes sense to me.  Yes, winds do make a difference and I have learned to check the weather forecast on longer trips. US-1 runs north-east and winds from the south-west are common. It is common to take less power to get to Raleigh than it does to get home because of the winds. If someone want to push the range limits they need to know about head winds and tail winds!

While ECO mode sounds like a good idea for longer range I will not run in that mode. We all know that sometimes quick acceleration gets you out of a dangerous situation and the ECO mode takes the ability to do that away from you. Acceleration is REALLY muted for the sake of increased range. Be aware of this if using it. I run custom nearly all the time. Same power as Sport but more regen is available and it is adjustable.

Pushing the range limits sounds like fun until you see 0% remaining and you are not home. I rode 96.2 miles, averaged about 55 MPH and 102.3 Wh/mile. It went to 0 about 2 miles or so from home. I checked my smart phone app once I got in the garage and saw 2% remaining despite 0% on the dash. This is common for the smart phone app to show a slightly higher charge level than the dash. Don't see that as a bad feature though.

[ultrarnr]

Richard230,

Not surprised at your recharge time. Once your charge level gets into the single digits charge times of 10 hours or more are common. This is not a big deal if you are plugging in at 8 pm. If you are seeing this at 10am after a morning ride it sucks. Which is why they make quick chargers!

One example of how the Zero 1 Kw quick chargers make a difference:
Internal charger only: 9:50
With 1 Quick charger: 4:55
With 2 Quick chargers: 3:41.

I have gotten 2 of the 2500 watt Elcon chargers from Hollywood Electrics and so far really like what I see. Once I get some more data I will post. The J1772 charging stations are nice!

[Richard230]

Even with the 15-hour charge time, which I do not plan to repeat, my bike was fully charged by the time I was ready to ride in the morning.     So I am still not ready to lug around an extra charger, as finding 120V outlets that people will you use for an hour or two, is really tough and I would just prefer to manage my route and riding style.

One thing that I have noticed is that after having run the battery pack on my Zero down to zero, the bike now charges to 100% before turning off, whereas it used to turn off at 98% and then finish charging to 100% a day later.  The 98% business started after the power tank was installed.  So now I guess the BMS is now fully adapted to having the power tank on board.

I would like to emphasis that, unlike the 2012 models that gave you a few more miles at slow speed when all of the power bars were gone, when the 2014 bikes say 0%, they mean it.  When the gauge reaches "0%", expect for the bike to stall out about 100 yards later.   

[arno]

Hello Richard230,

i think you have the range record till now !

I am owning a brandnew zero SR since 2 weeks and drove 161 km (100.0 Miles) till 0% battery level last week. Controller shut of the last 200 meters every second, same effect as reported from you.
Speed was between 46 and 53 mph.
Drivemode was ECO the whole time.

Yesterday and drove on the highway behind a truck and hat a calculated range of over 112 miles !
Speed was over 53 mph.
That is a boring method and also a little bit dangerous but saves a lot of energy....

[benswing]

arno, you would need to travel 226km to beat Richard230's record. 

I have gone over 100 miles several times on my 2012 Zero S including one trip of 114.1 miles (183.5km). 

Keep going and ride safe!

[kensiko]

Richard, about your surging thing, this is exactly like mine did, it was doing it almost all the time in steady speed. My controller needed a recalibration

[Richard230]

Richard, about your surging thing, this is exactly like mine did, it was doing it almost all the time in steady speed. My controller needed a recalibration

That is interesting.  I didn't know that the controller could be recalibrated.   

[krash7172]

Good to hear, Richard.

I'm a week in and the 90 mile mixed range is about spot on for my location and style of riding. Anyone know of a 141 mile hill we can ride down to "break the record"?   

[NoiseBoy]

Sounds like someone saw an opportunity to make $5.

This.

The clerk's back pocket would keep your fiver.

[Richard230]

Sounds like someone saw an opportunity to make $5.

This.

The clerk's back pocket would keep your fiver.

I don't doubt that.   

[CliC]

Sounds like someone saw an opportunity to make $5.

Yeah, I'd agree. I've read several times that gas station/convenience stores make little money on the gas and lots on the "convenience" items.

What the owners don't yet realize is that an EV rider will be spending MUCH more time at their establishments if they are charging than a gas vehicle rider. It would stand to reason that some free or nominal-cost charging stations, along with some relaxing niceties like gourmet coffee, some decent food, and a nice place to sit and relax would constitute a business opportunity for the creative convenience store owner.

[protomech]

Some of the Mapco gas stations in Nashville are starting to install CHAdeMO quick chargers. These are Nissan units, so they should work with the Zeros.

http://jpwhitenissanleaf.com/2014/05/04/nashville-mapco-gets-a-nissan-fast-charge-unit/#comment-2387

There are fast chargers at 7 Mapco stations in the greater Nashville area. 1 in Hendersonville, 2 in Nashville, 1 in Antioch, 1 in Franklin, 1 in Brentwood, and 1 in Murfreesboro. You can grab a bite to eat at each of these locations whle you are charging.

[Doug S]

... Up over Mount Hamilton, to Livermore, and back via Calaveras rd.

Oh man, that takes me back! I lived in San Jose for several years, and loved to ride my CBR600 and then my ZX-11 on that loop. I think I enjoyed that ride more than Skyline Blvd....though chatting with the other weirdos riders up at Alice's Restaurant was always fun too. One guy had mounted a bird cage to his bike and always brought his parrot along for some fresh air.

I wish I could join you on my SR, but I live in San Diego now and I don't have the power tank installed either. Enjoy!