On riding electric

[protomech]

Reading this unrelated article, titled "The frequent fliers who flew too much":
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0506-golden-ticket-20120506,0,3094073,full.story

Back in the 1980s American Airlines offered a permanent unlimited miles first class ticket. It was very expensive, at $350k. As it turns out, perhaps they should have charged more (and did, with prices ramping up to $1M before being discontinued in the mid 1990s).

Cable TV executive Leo Hindery Jr. bought a five-year AAirpass in 1991, with an option to upgrade to lifetime after three years. American later "asked me not to convert," he said. "They were gracious. They said the program had been discontinued and if I gave my pass back, they'd give me back my money."

Hindery declined, even rebuffing a personal appeal by American's Crandall (which the executive said he did not recall). To date, he has accumulated 11.5 million miles on a pass that cost him about $500,000, including an age discount and credit from his five-year pass.

"It was a lot of money at the time," Hindery said. "But once you get past that, you forget it."

Emboldened for emphasis. That's my vision for electric motorcycles, or electric transit in general. $14k for the Zero S ZF9 and $19k for the Empulse R is a rather large sum of money for a motorcycle. After the up-front payment, though, you essentially ride for free.. if you ignore things like tires, belts, and brakes.

Time will tell how reality matches to my vision. I've been really pleased thus far.

[Car Loss]

After the up-front payment, though, you essentially ride for free.. if you ignore things like tires, belts, and brakes.

The depreciation on batt cells will be big... assuming packs can't be rebuilt.  But if packs can be upgraded at all, let alone as chemistries improve, then yes.  Brake pads are nothing, really (particularly if regen is implemented, like Zero now).  Tires?  As long as you stay off the gummy race compounds, okay.

Still, I foresee some "valley of death" on highway recharge stations.  There will be a brief period, between few remote charging points and very common recharging stations, where some of them will gouge.  We have already seen a charge point or two that costs a flat fee, totally disproportionate to the actual electricity cost (pennies).  That will end once there are enough places that you can pick and choose, but we ain't there yet of course.

Carlos

[skuzzle]

We have already seen a charge point or two that costs a flat fee, totally disproportionate to the actual electricity cost (pennies).

I read somewhere that its not legal for charge station providers to sell based on the amount of electricity used.  Only utilities can sell electricity.  The best they can do is to charge (sell) per hour.