ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

I know many in this forum have non-Tesla EV's cages, so I would like to hear what they like and don't like about theirs. I am trying to decide what battery only EV I should get.

Around the time I bought my used 2014 Zero S, I also bought a 2016 Kia Soul EV for my daughter. My wife and I figured a limited range BEV would be good first car and it has been. It is a little quirky but surprisingly good. It does have CHAdeMO but we've always just used the level 2 J1772 plug. Kia warrantees the HV battery for 7 yrs/100k miles @70% and they did replace ours. I originally test drove the Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul EV, and VW e-Golf (all used) and liked the e-Golf the best but got a good deal on the Kia.

For our other daughter, I was looking for another BEV under $15k since this would be her first car as well. I was considering BMW i3, Mercedes B250e, and VW e-Golf. We ended up buying a 2016 e-Golf SEL for her and I really like it. It is fun to drive. The SEL has J1772 and CCS charging. I think the battery is near replacement (8 years/100k miles) so I am monitoring it. I recommend buying a used BEV from an authorized dealer as a CPO vehicle and monitoring battery degradation. Most manufacturers will honor the warrantee without too much hassle but it's reassuring to have the certification.

https://www.motor1.com/features/365927/buy-used-nissan-leaf-or-volkswagen-egolf/

This guy has an e-Golf and Tesla.


The older Soul EV or e-Golf might be below the range you are looking at. A BMW i3 with Range Extender or 2017+ e-Golf would probably be fine.

Bass Cadet

A 110 plug with a tine turned sideways means it needs a 20a isolated circuit.

It's probably the other blade. The standard US AC outlet is NEMA 5-15 (15A). The 20A version with left 90° blade (ground at bottom) is NEMA 5-20. The version with both blades at 90° is NEMA 6-15. And the version with the right blade at 90° is NEMA 6-20. I have a TurboCord (BMW branded) with the 240V adapter and it is NEMA 6-20. It has two thermal fuses inside but otherwise passes the voltage through.

BC

Hi, Don, and everyone. Do you know what the actual battery warranty is? I know it's 5 years/100k miles for my 2014 S, but what is the degradation, 20%? I think that means if the capacity drops to below 80%, they will replace the battery? Is there a way to check that other than at the dealer?

Thanks,
BC

I bought my '14 S used a few months ago and have put on about 500 miles. It has a little under 12k miles on it now.

Everything is running fine as far as I can tell, but I am thinking of taking it in to a dealer just to check. I am closer to Zero Motorcycles of Orange County so would take it there.

Do others take their Zeros in periodically or am I just wasting time and money?

Thanks,
BC

I've been trying out the custom with 20% regen, 100% brake regen. I like the coasting at times but prefer more throttle control. I do like single pedal driving on my Kia Soul EV, so I will give Don's new custom settings a try. I still find ECO useful, for example yesterday I got caught in some rain.

BC

Does anyone have suggestions for custom settings for a beginning rider? I've mostly been riding with the ECO setting and have become reasonably comfortable with it. Still, I wonder if there are some other settings that may be more suitable for someone who's been licensed about a month. I think the Zero is a great beginner's bike since the power is easily controlled, there is no clutch or shifting to worry about, and it is quiet enough to think.