Okay, maybe a bit dramatic but that's what it felt like to me : P
Rode the Zero to visit mom over the weekend.
Two primary ways to get there:
1. 120 miles of interstate + some off-interstate city roads, ~2 hours
2. 83 miles of state highways, 45-65 mph, ~1.5 hours
I took option 3:
3.
, ~40% of which is 50-65 mph highways rest is backroads 30-40 mph
I have done the first stage of this route several times, ridden halfway, and turned back around .. making sure the bike was doing okay. As near as I could tell from google maps, I should be able to just barely make it by going the backroad route and riding under the speed limit where safe to do so. Erring on the side of caution, I also called ahead to a couple of restaurants near the midpoint and found one where I would be able to charge. (they were all very nice, but the first two I called said they didn't think they had external outlets)
Unlike the Enertia and Empulse's percent-based energy gauge, the Zero has 11 bars. You can generally track range by watching miles as the bars tick away; typically 40 mph is 8 miles per bar, 45 is 7 miles, 50-55 mph is 6 miles.
Stopped to refuel part way at a restaurant. I think I may have popped a breaker; only gained maybe a bar in 1.5 hours (typically gain 1.5 bars/hour). A little worried about range.
The leg from the restaurant on turned out to be really easy, the backroad route was 30-35 mph and very pretty. Rolled into mom's place with 0 bars remaining and about 3-4 miles into the reserve (reserve is about 20 miles @ 20 mph, 10 miles @ 40 mph).
Returning home the next day was much easier. Stopped to charge for an hour (same restaurant), gained 1.6 bars (12 miles recharged per hour), arrived at home with 1.8 bars remaining. Net elevation gain was near zero, though there is a 700 foot gain in ~1 mile that I go up on the way out and descent on the way back.
So. Huntsville to Trussville? Totally possible. Practical? Well..
What would make it easier:
* aero improvements for the Zero.
* more battery capacity; Empulse could do the entire route at speed limits, turning a 3.5 hour trip into a 2 hour trip.
* faster charging; Empulse will pick up as much charge in a 15 minute stop as the Zero will in an hour
if you can find a J1772 plug, which there are 0 of along my route .. otherwise it should charge perhaps 20-30% faster.
What would make it harder (or completely unfeasible):
* cycle-based range degradation (since already pushing it close) .. I have approximately 45 full cycles on the batteries now.
* colder temperatures that sap range (even 60F might be enough of a range drop to rule it out).
* strong headwinds.
* heavier traffic forcing a higher speed for safety.
Would I do it again on the Zero? Probably not, or at least not until I can work on the aerodynamics. This trip is right on the very edge of the Zero's capabilities, and I'm not really comfortable pushing both the speed deltas between myself and traffic and the range margin. I think I could improve the route a little, and perhaps ride a bit more efficiently. Still.. it's nice to know it's possible. Now I just need to make it easy
