Electric Bikes... the Future?

[OB1]

Today, at Orwell Motorcycles in Ipswich, the future arrived. The English Electric Motor Co were having a test ride day on their range of Zero motorcycles. They had a selection of 7.2 and 14.4 Kw bikes to try from the Zero S street bike through the Zero DSR dual sport to the Zero FX trail bike and I was able to try out two models, the S and the DSR.











First off was the Zero S, a 7.2 Kw street bike that felt like sitting on a 125. It felt small but light and, even though I forgot to put it in sport mode, in economy mode it accelerated as well as maybe a 250 or 500 cc commuter bike, which is quick enough when zipping around town and taking on the twisties. Out on a country road it had plenty of go and overtaking wasn't a problem as the torque is instantaneous. Unfortunately, there were too many cars on the road that I was on and not enough overtaking chances, so I wasn't able to see how fast it would go. Range for this bike is up to 223 mile (according to the literature) as, like the electric cars, power gets put back into the battery when braking and decelerating.

A little later, I took out the 14.4 Kw Zero DSR dual sport.





This bike is like night and day to the S model. Within a couple of hundred yards, I had popped it into sport mode and, where the S was WOW! when you accelerate, this was WOWSHIT! as the front tyre tried to head skyward and it pulls your arms out of their sockets. I wanted more of this! I took it down the same roads as the S to start with, just to get used to the larger bike: it is more like a mid-sized dual sport, maybe a DL650 but so much lighter at just 190 kg... remember, there is not wet/dry weight, that is the weight! The amazing part is the torque which is 146 Nm compared with 60 Nm on the 650 Suzuki. Yes, the Zero DSR has more torque than a GSX-R 1000 (108 Nm) and you feel that when you twist the throttle. On the way back to the shop, I detoured onto the A14 and hit 100 mph before the end for the slip road.

I know that there'll be those out there who say "what about charging times" and all the other arguments against progress. Well, I chatted with the two lads (for that is all they were, no more than 35 either one of them) who sell these bikes, they said that using the normal lead, which is just like a kettle lead, it'll take around 8 hours to fully charge the bike, whereas, they had a quick charger which will do the same job in about an hour. Then there is the Power Tank which, when added to the bike, will fill the bike from empty in minutes! Another argument is range: the DSR will only cover just over 100 miles on a charge and, if your cruising at 70, less.

The thing is that technology is progressing so fast that range will be extended and charging times will be shortened in the coming years. Yes, it's weird riding a bike that doesn't make any noise except for the tyre against the tarmac and some may find it awkward not having a clutch and gear lever (I didn't even grab for the clutch once) but none of that detracts from the fact that these are fantastic bikes.

By the way, they also do the DSR Black Forest Edition...

[almar]

Thanks for that, what sort of price will they be marketed at ?

[OB1]

Thanks for that, what sort of price will they be marketed at ?

That is the big sticking point for me. There are quite a few options with battery size and power output but, generally, they start at £8,990 for the FX enduro/trail bike and FXS supermoto with a 7.2 Kw output up to £14,690 for the 14.4 Kw SR street bike and DSR dual sport (which I rode). These prices include a UK Government electric motorcycle subsidy of £1,500.

However, the normal running costs of a ICE motorcycle aren't there. There is no tax (vehicle excise duty) and none of the usual servicing that you would associate with a conventional motorcycle. No oil, no petrol, no coolant, etc. The belt lasts for 25,000 miles and the battery is guaranteed for 250,000 miles! The only consumables are brake pads, tyres and brake fluid. Yes, you have to pay for electricity but the comparison between that and petrol is pennies to pounds.

I would be interested to see a TCO comparison over five years against a conventional motorcycle, say a DL650 against the DSR with an annual milage of around 6,000 miles. I'm sure that the Zero would come pretty close.

[almar]

Electric vehicles are the future wether we like or not , so as other manufacturers produce models expect to see prices to reduce ?

[Cone]

I looked into this ultimately way to expensive

To get the longest range one you need the top spec, then the fast charger accessory then the additional battery pack.

You are nearly into 20k for that, now that is a lot of fuel to save..

More like a luxury product for the wealthy this, hopefully soon a resonantly priced one will come on to the market, such as the Indian one I linked a few months ago.

We’ll see a no go for another 10 years I think

[aliwakeskate]

Great writeup that. Thanks for taking the time. Very interesting.

Did anyone watch the motorbike show with Henry Cole the other night? There was a bit about electric bikes on it. He was at the bike shed in London and one of the customisers was showing him some of his projects, one was an electric bike. Quite interesting to see the development of these bikes.

Like garlic bread, it's the future....

[Craig-SM]

What was it like to actually ride? You mentioned the instant torque and equivalent power but all petrol bikes have their own character be it single, v-twin, parallel twin, triple, in-line or V4. I’ve never ridden an electric bike but imagine them to be quite soulless.

[daveuprite]

Electric vehicles are the future wether we like or not , so as other manufacturers produce models expect to see prices to reduce ?

Yes they are the future - obviously - and yes I do like it. Anyone rejecting the move to electric is as stuck in the past as horse and carriage owners were in the 1920s. And electric transport is about as developed today as I.C.E. vehicles were back in the 1920s. So there are many decades of relentless progress and development to come. Battery storage and range is doubling about every 5 years right now.

Good review of Zero's bikes. The market badly needs more like this, and more variety too.

[OB1]

What was it like to actually ride? You mentioned the instant torque and equivalent power but all petrol bikes have their own character be it single, v-twin, parallel twin, triple, in-line or V4. I’ve never ridden an electric bike but imagine them to be quite soulless.

Forget about V-twins and inline fours; electric bikes don't have a "character" but they do have soul... just something different from what we're used to. With many bikes, the character comes from the way the power is made from its one, two, three or four cylinders as the firing order or cam or crank determine how the power is produced. With electric bikes, the power is delivered in quite a linear way, but this doesn't make it soulless, just different. The bike is smoother than a four and quieter than a Rolls Royce on cruise control. There was no point where I felt that the experience was boring or like I was riding a freewheeling bicycle: I did have to engage with the bike.

One thing that I can say is that, when I got back on my Tiger 800 XCx, it actually felt gutless! It was heavy and there was no acceleration compared with the Zero. This was the same bike that I had enjoyed riding on the way to the shop this morning and for the previous 2 years and 17,000 miles but it just felt big, slow and heavy compared with the DSR.

I'm a convert. I won't be buying one just yet as I can't afford the financial commitment, however, give me a couple of years and I'll be looking to add a Zero to my garage... along with the Tiger for the long distance runs. It isn't the bike to replace the ICE motorcycle but it is definitely a step on the path down a bright and shiny road.

[Tonibe63]

They are definitely 'the future' because that is the will of the Political agenda but they are a fair way from being practical or affordable, a couple of years maybe but not right now.