Enertia Plus 55 mph range

[protomech]

Looking at the specs, I see they've been updated:
http://www.brammo.com/enertia-plus-specifications/

Most of it is unchanged, but there's a section on range with the MIC standard tests.

City: 75 miles/ 120* km
Highway: (@55mph/88km/h): 28 miles/ 45 km**
Combined: 41 miles/ 65 km***

*SAE City Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (variable speed, 19 mph / 30km/h average)
**SAE Highway / Constant Speed Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (55 mph / 88 km/h sustained)
*** SAE Highway Commuting Cycle (.5 City weighting, .5 Highway weighting)

City is the same EPA UDDS test that has been used in the past. The 19 mph average is terribly misleading btw, as the moving average is closer to 30 mph. There are long periods where the vehicle is standing still, which results in significant idle gas consumption in an ICE vehicle. Only the periods where the vehicle is moving are especially relevant to an EV, especially a bike without HVAC.

The 55 mph highway range spec is much lower than I expected ... in fact, it's probably not much more than the Enertia Classic (~20 miles).

As an aside, the 2013 Zero XU ZF5.7 gets 76 miles city, 48 miles @ 55 mph constant.

Gavin, can you tell if that's accurate for the Enertia Plus? I assume you did some 55 mph riding, would 28 miles come close to depleting the bike?

The Empulse with 50% more battery gets double the range .. 56 miles .. at 70 mph, not 55 mph.

If the range spec is accurate, then perhaps the E+ motor is being operated in a very inefficient region at 55 mph constant.. seems off to me though.

[BrammoBrian]

As an aside, the 2013 Zero XU ZF5.7 gets 76 miles city, 48 miles @ 55 mph constant.

If the range spec is accurate, then perhaps the E+ motor is being operated in a very inefficient region at 55 mph constant.. seems off to me though.

Michael, I think your information is incorrect... http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/2013/

The 2013 Zero XU ZF5.7 (actually 4.9kWh nominal versus the Enertia Plus's 6.2kWh nominal), is specified at 76miles city and 35 miles @ 55mph constant.

I'm not sure why our specifications were revised, so perhaps a mistake was made. Based on what I know, though, I would always bet on the vehicle with the larger battery pack having more range under the majority of circumstances, so I can understand your confusion.  I'll ask around after the holiday and see if this was actually tested or based on a simulation.  We may just be comparing the accuracy of simulations between companies...

Another point to consider is that vehicle weight is important, but less of a factor than you might be lead to believe.  You should consider the weight of the vehicle WITH rider as the total system mass and then compare the percentage difference rather than using the vehicle weight alone.  Whether it's a 320lbs bike or a 220lbs bike, you still require a 190 lbs (50th percentile US male) rider to operate it.  Also makes you consider more robust components when that mass represents the average...

[protomech]

The XU is rated at 35 miles @ 70 mph constant, 48 miles @ 55 mph constant. Irritatingly, the combined 70 mph / UDDS range rating is also 48 miles.

For 2012, Zero quoted the "highway commuting" range as the combined 55 mph / UDDS range. Since the XU can hit 77 mph, Zero is now quoting the combined 70 mph / UDDS range.

Zero lists the 55 mph constant range for all models in the 2013 press kit.

Code: [Select]

RANGE*           ZF 2.8         ZF 5.7
City             38 mi (61 km)  76 mi (122 km)
Highway (55 mph) 24 mi (39 km)  48 mi (77 km)
» Combined       29 mi (47 km)  59 mi (95 km)
Highway (70 mph) 17 mi (27 km)  35 mi (56 km)
» Combined       24 mi (39 km)  48 mi (77 km)
I'm not surprised the XU is slightly more efficient in the city (66 Wh/mile vs 83 Wh/mile, assuming 5.0 kWh nominal) .. the Enertia Plus is a little heavier. Still, the city ranges are basically the same.

I would have also bet on the Enertia Plus having more range at highway speeds - the aero profile is similar, and I assume the bikes are in the same efficiency ballpark .. so the larger battery would give the E+ an advantage.

But per the specifications, there is a huge gap.

E+: 6.2 kWh / 28 miles = 221 Wh/mile (almost 3x city usage!)
XU: 5.0 kWh / 48 miles = 104 Wh/mile

I would have to ride at 80 mph to make my bike use 220 Wh/mile. I have a hard time believing the E+ uses that much energy at 55 mph ..

[Gavin]

Didn't do much 55 mph testing...

I was getting around 84 mile per charge on city driving.

And I did go to the top of the mountain a couple of times on a charge...69 miles round trip and I would come back with 9 percent left...and a lot of that was at 55 mph and a lot of climbing on the way out...

35 miles with city and highway and 5000 foot gain used up 60% of the battery...35 miles with city and highway and 5000 foot drop used 31%...

I would say the Enertia Plus should get 40 plus miles at 55 mph....maybe close to 50 if the rider is smallish and the trip is flat roads....


Gavin

[protomech]

Another thought .. 220 Wh/mile * 55 mph = 12.1 kW from the battery. If the E+ used this much power at 55 mph, then I don't think the 13 kW peak motor would have enough headroom to reach nearly 70 mph..

[Gavin]

i did get the loaner up to 69 mph indicated...likely 65 real mph...to me it felt limited to that by electronics

(since confirmed by BB)

Gavin

[protomech]

No update yet.

I think the MIC range tests specify an actual road test run for the constant speed tests.. so then it shouldn't have been caused by something like an inappropriate dyno drag profile.

Can one of our Enertia Plus owners perform a short 55 mph = 80 km/h range test? For example, find a section of road where you can ride at a constant 55 mph or 80 km/h and record battery percentage used and miles ridden.. 8-10 miles or 13-16 km should be plenty to give a reasonably accurate reading.

Then we can calculate the real 55 mph range by (miles ridden on short test) / (battery percentage used).

For example, here are some made-up numbers. Suppose 13.1 km at constant speed and battery drops from 82% to 60%. Then we would calculate range at 13.1 km / 0.22 = 60 km = 37 miles.

Cold temperatures will reduce range somewhat, but if the battery gauge is relatively accurate then it should show if the 28 mile range number is reasonable.

[Adan]

As I posted in my "my thoughts . . ." thread, extrapolation from a 10 mile test indicates range to be 50 miles at a constant 55 mph. 

Seems the range difference between the Enertia and the Empulse is significantly less than the specs on Brammo's website would suggest.

[BrammoBrian]

I can now confirm that our 55mph constant speed range (and MIC city cycle range) on the website and in printed material is being updated.  Seems we were applying safety factors to our safety factors... and did ourselves a disservice.  I apologize for any confusion or if this lead anyone astray on their purchase decision.  The Enertia Plus is a really fantastic bike and I'm bummed that we may have lost some customers to this error. Should have this update done on the website within the week.  Printed materials will take a bit longer. I'd tell you the final answer on WHAT it will be updated to, but I don't know just yet.  Waiting on further test results... I will say the estimates here track pretty well to what we're seeing.   

[protomech]

Underpromising and overdelivering is usually a good thing, to a point : )

[protomech]

Brammo has now updated the Enertia Plus specifications:

City: 80 miles/ 129* km
Highway: (@55mph/88km/h): 45 miles/ 72 km**
Combined: 57.6 miles/ 93 km***

*SAE City Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (variable speed, 19 mph / 30km/h average)
**SAE Highway / Constant Speed Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (55 mph / 88 km/h sustained)
*** SAE Highway Commuting Cycle (.5 City weighting, .5 Highway weighting)

This matches more closely what Gavin and our Enertia Plus owners have reported.

The Zero XU ZF5.7 claims very similar range (76 miles city / 48 miles highway @ 55 mph / 59 miles combined) from a slightly smaller battery, but at least the Enertia Plus range is in line with expectations now.

[Adan]

80/45 is a bit less than my real life experience would indicate, but as noted, it might be best to underpromise with when it comes to range.

I haven't test ridden the Zero XU, but on paper, the Enertia does seem to offer more in almost every department: range, componentry and build quality, and certainly aesthetics.  The XU does have fast charge and battery removal options which, if you needed them, might make all the difference.

[Rano]

On saturday I want to drive to a birthday party. Crosscountry 57 miles. Do you think we can do it? Or will I need to have some charging stops? I also want to get back to vienna the same day. How long do I "need" to stay at this family party?

[protomech]

114 miles is an ambitious trip for a bike rated at 80 miles city.

How fast are you going? Ex 20% at 30-35 mph, 60% at 35-45 mph, 20% at 45-50 mph?

How long will you have to charge the bike in total?

0 hours charging = probably have to ride 15-20 mph or less to make it = 6+ hours riding.

3.5 hours charging = probably can ride 30 mph = 4 hours riding.

7 hours charging = probably can ride 45+ mph = 2.5 hours riding.

Ballpark figures, take them for what they're worth etc etc..

[Rano]

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