Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[valnar]

Hi folks.  First time poster here.

I'm contemplating getting a Zero and it would be my first EV.  I need to figure out if the range would be adequate for my usage.

So for argument sake, figure on the 2019 FX 7.2.  Spec are:
City = 91 miles
Highway @ 70 = 39 miles
Mixed = 54

Lets assume this is a perfect science. 

At what speed does the range drop dramatically on a Zero bike?  50mph?  60mph?  65mph?  I assume the drop from 91 --> 39 miles isn't linear, or is it?  Has anyone made a calculator where you can plug in some figures and come up with a predictable range?

eg.  I have a destination 29 miles away, which means (as you can guess) a 58 mile round trip.  I can say that a certain percentage is city driving from 25-45mph, and another percentage is freeway so I'd go 65-70 to keep up with everyone else.  What I don't know is how much each of those speeds eat away at the battery life.

Anybody "in the know" ever figure that out?!  Lol

[flattetyre]

The range drops dramatically from about 10 or 15 mph...at those speeds you can get over 100 miles a pack (kill the 12v accessories for that long ride!). Zero's range specs are pretty accurate.

An online calculator would be redundant. Zero already did that part for you, and produced reasonable range figures. You can extend or shorten depending on how your ride. Your 58 mile round trip is doable, but you will need to be mindful about how hard you accelerate and how fast you cruise. The highway portion will probably be the biggest variable if you accelerate gently. You may need to ride closer to 55 or 60 than 70 mph.

[valnar]

10 to 15mph?  I'm not sure if this is serious.

I wasn't quite sure what "City" meant but their specs have a dramatic difference between City and highway-70mph.

For me, City isn't stop-and-go.  City is simply roads that are between 30-45mph mostly.  There are a few lights, but not many.  Since Zero is based in California, I don't know if "City" to them means literally sitting and waiting half the time.

[Richard230]

My personal observation is that traveling under 40 mph should get you Zero's claimed city range.

[DonTom]

Hi folks.  First time poster here.

I'm contemplating getting a Zero and it would be my first EV.  I need to figure out if the range would be adequate for my usage.

So for argument sake, figure on the 2019 FX 7.2.  Spec are:
City = 91 miles
Highway @ 70 = 39 miles
Mixed = 54

Lets assume this is a perfect science. 

At what speed does the range drop dramatically on a Zero bike?  50mph?  60mph?  65mph?  I assume the drop from 91 --> 39 miles isn't linear, or is it?  Has anyone made a calculator where you can plug in some figures and come up with a predictable range?

eg.  I have a destination 29 miles away, which means (as you can guess) a 58 mile round trip.  I can say that a certain percentage is city driving from 25-45mph, and another percentage is freeway so I'd go 65-70 to keep up with everyone else.  What I don't know is how much each of those speeds eat away at the battery life.

Anybody "in the know" ever figure that out?!  Lol

Expect to get roughly half the range each time you double the speed.  For easy normal riding, take ten times the battery KWH, about 72 miles for a 7.2 battery. Forget about any type of accuracy, way too many variables, hills, wind road conditions, temperature (warmer gives better range--but hot gives problems). Ride slow on level ground and you can easily beat Zero's city range spec. Ride fast up hill, and you will be lucky to get 50% of the Zero freeway spec.  Expect it to be all over. But use this  simple rule, if your in a hurry, slow down! Recharge time is a lot longer (in most cases) than any time you will gain by speed.

I try to stay off the freeways as much as possible and because of that, I am quite happy with my range.

And when I must use the freeway uphill, I look for a slow truck to get behind, if I am concerned about range.

But when I am very concerned, I use an ice bike!

-Don-  Cold Springs Valley, NV

[flattetyre]

10 to 15mph?  I'm not sure if this is serious.

I wasn't quite sure what "City" meant but their specs have a dramatic difference between City and highway-70mph.

For me, City isn't stop-and-go.  City is simply roads that are between 30-45mph mostly.  There are a few lights, but not many.  Since Zero is based in California, I don't know if "City" to them means literally sitting and waiting half the time.

Completely serious. I'm not suggesting you ride at that speed, and the powertrain efficiency is poor, but since your main enemy is air drag, and the power needed to overcome that drag rises with the CUBE of your speed...yes, your range will drop dramatically from a very low speed. A partial solution to this is a fairing, or at least a windshield. The latter makes a noticeable difference on the highway and the right fairing could literally double your highway range at the expense of you looking like a goon in search of a speed record.

Anyway stop and go is worse for range. If you're going 30-40 in the city, and don't accelerate hard, you will easily meet zero's claimed city range.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

There are some Google Spreadsheet range calculators. DoctorBass made one in metric and I have one that uses imperial units and is unfortunately a little more complicated to DIY bike specs I didn't already enter.

Also, neither of us use FX bikes, so the weight/drag parameters are different. But it can be done.

[valnar]

OK thanks everyone.  That helped.  I didn't realize going fast cut it down so dramatically.

[ESokoloff]

I have a 2016 DSR 13KW with a similar round trip commute that’s a few miles less (53+- miles).
Most of the time I only have 20-30% left over (sometimes less) but I don’t limit my power usage.

I think your combo (commute/battery capacity) will only work if you limit your max. speed to 45 (MPH).
Also you won’t be left with much reserve especially in Winter (increased air density, wet/slippery pavement, unfavorable winds).

[valnar]

I have a 2016 DSR 13KW with a similar round trip commute that’s a few miles less (53+- miles).
Most of the time I only have 20-30% left over (sometimes less) but I don’t limit my power usage.

I think your combo (commute/battery capacity) will only work if you limit your max. speed to 45 (MPH).
Also you won’t be left with much reserve especially in Winter (increased air density, wet/slippery pavement, unfavorable winds).

I'm very tall (6'4") and only the FX felt good when I sat on it. I could probably make the DS/DSR work if I had no choice, but I'd need to get it customized.  Lower the pegs and such.  The highest battery on the FX isn't that high though, so if you're only left with 20% on a 13KW, that doesn't bode well for me.

[gborgan]

I had a 52 mile round trip commute on mostly freeway. Zero SR 12.5.  When it worked right, I averaged 0.7 miles per 1% which would be 70 miles if consistent.  If I got off the highway and rode the boulevards, including stop and go, I could get it up to 1.2 fairly easily.

One popular EV Vlogger says “put your money into the biggest battery you can afford before anything else.”  He speaks of Tesla but it’s good advice especially for a Zero.

Too many variables in driving conditions and indeed, unpredictability of what the system might do after an update or two, future degradation etc, all add up to less range, not more.  I would not recommend the smallest model for a 50 mile commute based on my experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[flattetyre]

The DS is a much better platform on the freeway, especially with a windscreen. Only thing it doesn't do as well on the freeway as the FX is split traffic.

[gborgan]

Regarding land splitting...three weeks after selling my Zero, I was rear-ended on I-5 while on my Suzuki Cavalcade in Orange County, CA. (Thrown to the ground, bike totaled, but I walked away once I came to...thank you).  As I sat in the CHP car to enjoy his Air Conditioning while waiting for a tow, the officer stated “the vast majority of our daily freeway bike accidents are due to lane splitting.”  Perhaps a topic for another thread, but “just saying.”  The Cade was too big and rubbery handling for splitting but I did go between cars on the SR sometimes. 

I haven’t been without at least one motorcycle in the garage from 1969 until now.  The accident woke me up to what can happen “even to me” in an instant!  Several old friends have not been as lucky as I was.

I still have some limitations seven months later, and I miss riding.  I am not saying never again, but I’m still not ready.

If you ride a motorcycle only to get to work a few minutes faster by zipping between cars, well...please do it in moderation and keep your eyes open!  -Uncle George


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[valnar]

There is no lane splitting in my state, so no worries there.

[KrazyEd]

   If you hypermile as much as possible, keep tires close to maximum posted on tire, add windshield, you might be able to get 20% over what Zero says
I could take my 2013 FX 5.7 around 60 freeway miles doing those things. I have had my 2016 13KW SR between Las Vegas and Los Angeles a few times.
Around town, I can get 200 to 300 ( No Fun, Just to see if I can do it ) miles. My furthest Highway without charge was right at 120 miles from Vegas to the
Charge station in Beatty, again, just to see if I could do it. Didn't have the Big windscreen then, just the little one. Didn't know where the charger was and
lost cell signal, so the last 20 miles was quite slow. Arrived with 7 miles left. Wind resistance doesn't seem to be much of an effect until you exceed 35 mph.
Keep in mind that a headwind adds to your actual mph. At the drag strip, a mild headwind cuts my terminal velocity by as much as 4 mph.
I have been driving / riding electric vehicles for about a dozen years and can easily exceed pretty much any posted range numbers for anything that I have
driven or ridden. Your round trip should be easily doable.
   The first thing that I do when I acquire an electric vehicle is take it on a known "loop" and run it from full to empty so that I know how far I "CAN" go.
Then, ride / drive it a bit harder to find out what the difference is. If you take it "painfully" slow the first time or two, you will know what you are ABLE to
do, then, gradually increase speed ( add fun ) to see what the most optimal throttle positions are. Worst case pull into a grocery store, there are usually
open outlets around the vending machines. Damned homeless are causing many / most of the places around Vegas that USED to have outlets to put plates
over them.
Hope this helps.
Feel free to P/M if you have questions that you feel may apply to you more than the group
Good Luck