Ed: This article has been updated with a comment from Zero Motorcycles.

Anyone else tired of hearing about the Fiscal Cliff yet? We are, and we were hoping to avoid having to write about it on this blog, but alas, motorcycle world has been drawn into the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 w The Act casts a wide net over many tax issues, including the extension of an existing tax credit for electric motorcycles.

Added to the Act by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the amendment allows the purchasers of electric two- and three-wheelers to claim a tax credit worth the lesser of 10% of the cost of the vehicle or $2,500. The amendment applies to street-legal vehicles capable of achieving speeds of 45 mph or higher. The amendment also reduces the requirements for the capacity of the vehicle’s power pack to 2.5 kWh from the previous level of 4 kWh.

The amendment was supported by Republican Congressman Greg Walden and Democrat U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, both representing Oregon. The state is home to a number of electric vehicle producers including Brammo, so it’s no wonder the act drew bi-partisan support. Wyden says the electric motorcycle industry is expected to generate nearly 2,000 jobs in the next 18 months and 16,000 jobs over the next five years. Continue Reading »

Riding a modified 2012 Zero S, Terry Hershner, an electric motorcycle advocate, logged 3,500 miles in only six days of riding. Beginning his trip in Florida, Hershner garnered 1,000 miles before heading west. Four days and 2,500 miles later he arrived in west Texas.

To make the trip in such short time Hershner modified his Zero S, reducing charging time significantly. Utilizing three Delta Q QuiQ chargers, two Elcon PFC 2500 chargers and a J1772 car charging port Hershner was able to recharge his Zero S in less than one hour, compared to the eight hours it would normally take using only a standard charger. During the course of this adventure Hershner alternated between 45 minutes of riding and 45 minutes of charging.

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Daytona International Speedway played host to the TTXGP World Final, where TTXGP competitors from its three regions — Australia, Europe and North America — would battle it out for top honors. This marked the first time in the famed speedway’s history it has ever hosted an electric motorcycle race of any kind, making the event a truly historic moment. The grandeur of the event wasn’t lost on 2010/2011 TTXGP World Final Champion Matthias Himmelman and Australian champion Jason Morris, as they dug deep to raise the funds necessary to make the trip to Daytona to race against two-time, and defending North American champ, Steve Atlas aboard the Team Icon Brammo Empulse entry. Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles was awarded a $1,815,123 grant from the California Energy Commission. The grant nearly doubles Zero‘s expansion budget to $3.64 million.

The Santa Cruz, Calif., company expects the expansion plans would quadruple the company’s current production capacity and create dozens of jobs in the community. Zero had previously received an R&D subsidy from the Commission which resulted in the upgraded powertrain used in Zero’s recently announced 2013 model lineup. Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles made a big splash at the 2012 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, announcing a host of impressive updates. We’ll have a more in-depth look for you tomorrow, for now, here are the highlights:

• A higher-voltage Z-Force power pack;
• An average power increase of 99% across the entire lineup;
• A claimed range of 137 city miles for the Zero S;
• A quick charge to 95% of battery capacity in under an hour using CHADeMO charge stations;
• iPhone and Android phone integration via Bluetooth;
• All new frames;
• New bodywork on the Zero S and Zero DS;
• The Zero MX gets upsized, while the Zero X gets replaced by:
• The new Zero FX claiming 44 hp, 70 ft-lb. of torque and a weight of just 275 pounds;

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Zero Motorcycles is issuing a recall on the 2012 Zero S and Zero DS after receiving numerous reports of sudden motor shut-downs. Zero attributes the problem to the encoder used to read the position of the motor.

According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the encoder position signal may drift beyond the limits of the motor controller, leading the controller to suddenly shut down the motor.

Since February this year, Zero received 13 reports of 2012 S models and DS models suddenly shutting down. At first, Zero believed the problem was caused by insufficient waterproofing of its battery management system, issuing a recall in July. Zero soon realized something else was going wrong, eventually isolating the problem to the motor/controller timing. A solution was put into place in June, but this later proved to be insufficient. Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles has announced its first ever limited edition model. Only 30 units of the 2012 Zero S ZF9 Limited Edition will be produced, though at the moment it appears they will only be offered in Europe.

The Limited Edition model was produced to celebrate the Zero S being named eMotorbike of the Year 2012 at Clean Week 2020 this May at Belgium’s Zolder circuit. The Zero S was selected for this honor by a panel of 12 European specialists. The Zero S was also named eMotorbike of the Year in 2011.

The Zero S ZF9 Limited Edition comes in graphite-colored fairing, tail, fenders and battery covers. Add-ons include a Corbin-designed seat, a front cowl with mini windscreen, a 12V accessory outlet, and Zero-branded Pro Grips. Each unit has an individually-numbered brushed aluminum plaque and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Continue Reading »

Electric motorcycles like Brammo’s forthcoming Empulse model would qualify for a tax credit.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Buyers of on-road electric motorcycles would continue to be eligible for up to a $2,500 tax credit under a bill approved by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

On Aug. 2, the panel approved bipartisan legislation extending dozens of tax breaks, including language offered by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to preserve the tax credit for buying electric motorcycles designed for the street.
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Zero Motorcycles has named Richard Walker its new chief executive officer, completing its executive management team. Walker brings to Zero with 30 years of business experience, mostly in the computer and home electronics industries.

Most recently, Walker served as executive vice president of the products group for Control4 which produces automation and control systems for home electronics. Before joining Control4, Walker served as vice president and general manager of Hewlett Packard‘s consumer desktop business division.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to join a dynamic team and help lead a new and innovative company to higher levels of performance and success,” says Walker. “My goal is to ensure that Zero Motorcycles continues to grow and lead the electric motorcycle industry through product innovation and sound management, while never losing sight of our goal to build a ‘better motorcycle’ for our customers to enjoy.” Continue Reading »

Zero is issuing its second recall in a week, this time for insufficient waterproofing for the battery management system on certain 2012 models. The recall comes after a recall on 2011 and 2012 models for the brake light switch. The second recall, related to the battery, is a much more serious one for the electric motorcycle manufacturer.

According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the battery management system printed circuit board has insufficient waterproofing on its connector pins. Under wet conditions, connector pins may short circuit, potentially causing a sudden drop in power, increasing the chance of a crash.

Zero first first received reports of a problem in March 2012 from a dealer after a 2012 Zero S inadvertently stopped running. The dealer replaced the battery management system under warranty with a new unit which corrected the problem. Zero then began an investigation for the cause. Continue Reading »