ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: MostlyBonkers on April 09, 2016, 10:50:06 PM
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This may be more relevant for
Zero owners in the UK. However, thoughts and suggestions from elsewhere are always welcome.
Considering the cost of a Diginow is likely to be well north of £2,000, it might be worthwhile being able to hire one. The person buying it (me) would treat it as their own. Others could rent it for a fee if they are planning a tour or would like an opportunity to try one before they buy for themselves.
The charger could be sent by courier if pickup isn't practical. £20 per day plus any shipping costs would be a reasonable rate, I feel. It would be easy to justify that on fuel savings alone if touring.
It would be a way of justifying the purchase when otherwise I wouldn't get enough use out of it.
Please let me know if you'd be interested and how long you'd be likely to want it for. It'll help me decide if it's worth doing.
It's not a commercial venture, more of a co-operative amongst like-minded people. Good idea, bad, terrible?
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That's a really interesting concept. Most folks wouldn't really need it around town, and it would be great for a tour.
How are you planning to mount it?
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Good point. I think it would go in a top box but not as a permanent fixture. I'm sure people will be sharing how they've installed theirs, hopefully soon. The challenge will be to keep it secure and provide adequate airflow.
In fact, it might make sense to lend out the top box with the charger. That way people could use it if they don't own their own top box. I've no idea how easy it is to fit a top box to a Zero.
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Really easy, takes about ten minutes and 4 screws to mount the mount.
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Cool, thanks Erasmo.
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The only caveat is that you need a big torx on the 2014+ models iirc.
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A topbox setup would be good as a rental in theory, since you could swap it between bikes fairly easily.
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With some decent instructions on how to connect & route the wires this could work. It just plugs into the auxiliary charging port, yes? A diginow in a top box that is already configured for airflow and has a J1772 port mounted into the side would be a pretty awesome little package.
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Too bad the Diginow chargers are $3,000. How often will you find a charging station out on the road that is capable of more than 6kW to really use that much charger. There might be a good market for a home built 4kW charger using two of these MeanWell's for bulk plus the onboard charger for the finish charging for a total of 5kW. Parts would be $900 including the J1772 cord.
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http://www.trcelectronics.com/View/Mean-Well/RCP-2000-48.shtml (http://www.trcelectronics.com/View/Mean-Well/RCP-2000-48.shtml)
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With some decent instructions on how to connect & route the wires this could work. It just plugs into the auxiliary charging port, yes? A diginow in a top box that is already configured for airflow and has a J1772 port mounted into the side would be a pretty awesome little package.
Keep in mind that you cannot use the Super Charger at full capacity when plugging it in at the aux port.
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Neither with the controller accessory by the sounds of it, due to that fuse embedded in the wiring loom. 8kWh sounds like the practical limit, which is a shame.
I'm binning this idea and probably any ambitions to buy the Diginow. Too expensive for me. Too much faffing around and risk associated with renting it out too.
I want to see the pillion seat turn into a flap with a socket for a universal DC quick charger under it. Just upping the on-board charger to 3kW would make a massive difference.
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The controller kit comes with a 250Amp inline fuse :) much higher than the accessory port.
If you guys are interested on mounting to a top case, you should ask Terry about it. he has a sweet setup.
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Thanks for clarifying EC. I must have got mixed up so apologies for that.
There wasn't a lot of interest in my idea, which I kind of expected to be honest. It's probably best that people buy the super charger for their own needs and do a proper permanent installation.
I'm sure loads of folks will be interested in Terry's setup. I wouldn't want to distract him from his testing right now though! :-)
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Nice concept. Yes, I'd like to see diginow chargers available for rent. Would be a good thing for Zero dealers to carry. You will sell more vehicles if you could offer an antidote to range anxiety. Tesla knows this. Are you listening, SFMoto, San Jose BMW?
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Hopefully the Supercharger will be incorporated into future Zeros, and ideally it would allow you to connect and charge via J1772, CHAdeMO, and CCS. That will be a couple years out, but once that happens it will be a significant turning point. Especially if they can get the costs down.
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Hmm, it would make a lot of sense for a dealer to rent one out. There's been talk of Luke doing a lot of testing on the charger. Is it the same Luke that works for Zero as their battery engineer? If that's the case, we can hope that Zero will certify the charger.
As a sales tool, dealers could loan a charger in a top box. The dealer could fit it for the customer, the customer pays a refundable deposit and a small fee for insurance, then comes back after a week or two and buys one. The dealer fits it in the tank or a top box and earns a few quid in the process. If it doesn't end in a sale, it's treated as a rental. That stops people taking the Mickey. Thanks for that idea togo.
Oh and Amen to Ben!