With few units actually produced and sold, the electric motorcycle business has, by and large, been more hype than horsepower. The 2013 model line for Zero Motorcycles, recently introduced at the Interm?t Motorcycle, Scooter and Bicycle show in Cologne, Germany, indicates the company?s determination to make owning and riding an electric bike more appealing to the riding public.
Zero is clearly working to make its offerings look, feel and ride more like full-size motorcycles and less like the lightweight machines descended from mountain bikes that the company, based in Santa Cruz, Calif., initially sold. Abe Askenazi, the company?s chief technology officer and a former designer at the Buell Motorcycle Company, is credited with many of the new features reflected in the 2013 lineup.
All 2013 Zero models feature a more powerful Z-Force radial-flux, permanent-magnet motor, which uses higher voltage and a new passive air-cooling system, eliminating the need for a noisy cooling fan. And though one electronic gadget has been eliminated, one has been integrated: all 2013 models allow the rider to interface with their Zero using a smartphone app. The rider can remotely monitor the battery?s charge state, adjust power characteristics and even customize the dashboard display with a iPhone or Android device.
The company?s street-oriented Zero S and more versatile Zero DS are the bigger, faster and more expensive models, with full-size features like a passenger seat and foot pegs, along with a redesigned chassis and bodywork. Zero claims 54 horsepower for the S and DS, and a top speed of 95 miles per hour. A choice of two lithium-ion battery packs is available. The S model, with the larger 11.4-kilowatt-hour pack, yields a claimed range of 137 miles in slow city going and 70 miles at a steady 70 m.p.h. With the 8.5-kWh pack, those range projections respectively drop to 103 miles and 53 miles.
Achieving a full charge of the 11.4-kWh pack takes roughly eight hours with a standard 110-volt house current, though Zero said it would offer an optional charger that followed the CHAdeMO standard, which would allow a 95 percent charge in under an hour at certain high-power charging stations.
A new model, the Zero FX Stealth Fighter, is a street-legal model for on- and off-road use derived from the off-road-only Zero MX. It is designed to optimize acceleration and response at the expense of highway speed and range, with a maximum of 44 horsepower and 70 pound-feet of torque. The Zero FX, Zero MX and the lightweight, lower-cost Zero XU feature modular battery packs that allow for quick changes. Swapping in a fresh battery, of course, doubles the bike?s range.
Saving the world, or appearing as if you want to, does not come cheaply. The high-end Zero DS with the 11.4-kWh battery pack has a retail price of $16,445, inclusive of $450 shipping. At the lower end, the Zero XU lists for $8,445. But with a range of just 24 miles in combined city and highway riding on the single-battery specification, and 27 horsepower on tap, the XU is designed to appeal to people who don?t need to go far and are in no big hurry to get there.
national enquirer whitney houston casket photo jk rowling qnexa kingdom of heaven national enquirer whitney houston arizona republican debate arizona debate
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.