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Shinysideup:
Hmm... and exactly how does a Zero owner know the battery is at 100%? Especially if it achieves that level at, say, 3:37 a.m.? Looks like it would benefit by a smart charger that would automatically turn itself off.

On our Chevy Bolt, I'm following the practice of putting it "Hilltop Reserve", designed to quit charging at 90% so regen works when I start up and come down a long hill. Forum posters' consensus is that this practice MAY prolong battery life, somewhat.

Tesla lets owners choose the cutoff and recommend, IIRC, quitting at the 80% level, and not letting the pack get below 20%.

Richard230:
Hmm... and exactly how does a Zero owner know the battery is at 100%? Especially if it achieves that level at, say, 3:37 a.m.? Looks like it would benefit by a smart charger that would automatically turn itself off.

They don't and you are right, Sunnysideup. In fact, if I leave my charger plugged in more than a few minutes after it finishes charging, when I pull the plug the contactor will not disconnect and the charger will remain connected to the battery pack, discharging it to the tune of about 200 watts a day.  If I turn the ignition on and then off again, there will be a loud click and the charging light will finally go out. (Needless to say my dealer says they never heard of this issue before and the bike shows no logs that could be sent to Zero to diagnose the problem.)  All it would take is a firmware update that would completely disconnect the charger (which operates at 5 watts when charging is completed) so that power is no longer going to the battery pack.  ???

MichaelJ:

--- Quote from: Shinysideup on January 01, 2018, 09:07:28 PM ---Michael - I noticed in your signature that your wife has a 2017 Zero S. It may be interesting for us to hear about your impressions of it compared to your experience of riding the Empulse...

--- End quote ---


Yowza.  So sorry to have overlooked your question, Shinysideup.


My wife is rather possessive of her Zero--she is reluctant to let me ride it even when she doesn't.  :)  So far, I have had exactly one ride on it on rural roads, for less than 10 miles and at less than 50 mph.  Since that time, another local motorcycle dealership much closer to home than the one from which she purchased that Zero has also begun carrying Zero.  They had a open house and test ride event at which one or two of each model (S, SR, DS, DSR, FX) were available.  Test rides were conducted as a group, with a dealership or Zero representative leading the pack along twisty and hilly local roads on the outbound leg and a 50 mph road on the return leg.  If I remember correctly, I was on either an SR or DS.


As far as an Empulse rider's impressions of a Zero, nothing stands out as particularly good or bad.  I like both brands.  Enough time has passed since I first started riding and driving EVs that the wide-eyed what-did-Santa-leave-under-the-tree-for-me excitement--and the range anxiety--are gone.  I take them for granted that they work within their limits, and my life activities have made the necessary adaptations.


Maybe that excitement will return once a Tesla Model 3 replaces my Nissan LEAF.


Things they have in common (no surprises here, I hope):

* strong acceleration
* smoothly controlled acceleration and deceleration (regen)
* instant power delivery (no ICE lag)
* good balance when in motion (nearly lost my footing by accident when starting a downhill right turn from a stop sign while riding my wife's Zero)
* quiet (Empulse's motor, transmission, and chain might whine more than Zero's motor and belt)
* doesn't generate noisy, smelly exhaust
* fuel is cheaper and more stable in price than gasolineSome surprises about the Zero:

* Zero's "tank" is wider than the Empulse's "tank" -- Zero's marketing photos did not prepare me for this, but seeing them side by side in my garage confirms it
* because I have relatively few hours logged on a Zero many months ago, I have what could be a mistaken impression that the Zero felt slightly more top heavy than the Brammo (yes, this means I think Brammos are also top heavy; I got used to it for riding, but if it falls over, I can't pick it up)Things I like about the Empulse:

* it's a great transition bike for ICE riders not ready to give up a clutch and transmission
* having gears for adjustable acceleration going uphill and regen braking going downhill (no fussing with a "mode" button on the handlebar or changing settings using a smartphone app)
* being able to feather the throttle to change gears instead of using the clutch
* the bright blue EBoz graphics and orange wheels for visibility on the road
* the look of the battery brackets, especially the 7 piston-looking brackets
* Brammo customers don't have to pay extra for a J1772 socket that charges faster than 110VACThings I like about the Zeros I've test ridden:

* not worrying about when to shift gear
* a belt drive means not having to grease the chain every 300 miles
* no transmission means not having to worry about a recall for oil breather tube leaks...or changing the transmission oil at all
* larger battery capacity (Empulse = 9.7 kWh) and range (Empulse <= 80 miles)
* higher battery charge rate (Empulse = 3.3 kW?, 2017 Zero S with Charge Tank = 6.6 kW)Things I would like to see on either:

* brighter colors always available as standard (I love my EBoz blue/orange color scheme, and wear hi-viz ATGATT) for visibility in traffic
* a parking brake for parking on inclines
* a center stand for parking without leaning, with greater stability and confidence, and to avoid having to buy a bike stand to get a wheel off the ground for belt/chain maintenance
* the ability to daisy chain or charge multiple e-bikes from one EVSE (the West Coast Green Highway where I live only pairs one AeroVironment CHAdeMO with one AeroVironment J1772, which makes recharging multiple EVs together very time consuming)
* LED headlamps
* compatibility with CHAdeMO and/or CCS, maybe also Tesla's standard
* a shaft drive for zero chain/belt maintenance
* a powered reverse "gear"
* a powered USB recharging port near the handlebar as standard equipment
* a cruiser frame (yay, Curtiss?) with (1) room for both more battery and more luggage without making the bike look like it is carrying ammunition or suffers from goiter, (2) a place to mount a light bar for better seeing and for being seen, (3) room for an ample windscreen to cut down the wind buffeting, and (4) a feet-first riding posture--all of which I miss from the Suzuki Boulevard C50T, that served me well on a 1,400 mile road trip to Crater Lake and back to the Seattle area during which I visited Brammo HQ in MedfordDespite how much I wrote, I probably haven't directly answered your question, Shinysideup.  Let me know and I'll try to check back on this forum more frequently.  :)

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