At Europe’s Clean Week 2020 elections, held earlier this month, the 2013 Zero S was voted the European e-Motorbike Of The Year 2013, followed in second place by the Zero DS.
Most Recent
Events / Promotions
Zero Motorcycles is offering two new police-spec electric motorcycles for law enforcement agencies and security companies for 2013. The Santa Cruz, Calif., company has been supplying police versions of Zero DS in 2012 (following an initial trial in 2011 in Scotts Valley, Calif.) with but 2013, the company is adding a new model based on the Zero S.
The 2013 Zero S Police/Security joins the Zero DS Police/Security after Zero saw demand for a pure street-based police bike in addition to a dual sport model. Both models are based on the 2013 consumer versions, which Zero claims are 93% more powerful than the 2012 models with 62% more torque. Equipped with the ZF11.4 powerpack, Zero claims a combined highway and city range of 74 miles from the DS and a combined range of 102 miles for the S model. Both police models are available with the ZF8.5 powerpack which provides a claimed combined range of 69 miles for the DS and 77 miles for the S. 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;
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 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 »
Zero is issuing a recall on certain 2011-2012 models due to a problem with the brake light switches. The recall applies to the 2011-12 Zero DS, Zero S and Zero XU, the 2012 Zero X and the street-legal versions of the 2011 Zero MX and Zero X.
According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front brake lever travel is too broad, and as a result may not activate the brake light under moderate application of the front brakes.
As a result, motorists traveling behind a Zero rider may not see the brake light turn on as the rider tries to slow down, increasing the risk of a crash. Continue Reading »
Zero Motorcycles reported a 240% year-over-year growth in revenue over the first quarter of 2012 with a 178% increase in unit sales.
Specific numbers were not released, only saying it recently passed the milestone of 1,500 units delivered worldwide, but actual unit sales figures and revenues are still small in comparison to larger motorcycle manufacturers, but the growth is still positive news for Zero and the overall electric motorcycle segment.
“We are now in full production and accelerated growth mode. Yet we are still a small company and therefore we understand that significant increases are relatively easier for us than for larger OEMs,” says Karl Wharton, chief operating officer of Zero Motorcycles. “However, on any scale, it’s an impressive performance, arguably making Zero Motorcycles the fastest growing and largest premium brand electric motorcycle manufacturer in the world.” Continue Reading »
Most people know Fabio from his work as a romance novel cover model, and as a pitchman for Old Spice and his seminal work for I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter. What many don’t know is he’s an avid motorcyclist with a collection of bikes in the hundreds.
More recently, Fabio has become a spokesperson for Plug In America, a non-profit organization advocating electric vehicles. Fabio had a cameo in a Public Service Announcement commercial for Plug In America produced by former Baywatch actress and a founding board member of the group, Alexandra Paul. The PSA drew the attention of several mainstream media outlets, and Fabio eventually became somewhat of an ambassador for the group .
The PSAs also caught the attention of someone at Zero Motorcycles who contacted Fabio and invited him for a test ride. A day’s worth of riding made Fabio a believer and he picked up his own Zero DS. Continue Reading »
Zero Motorcycles recently celebrated the start of production for its 2012 model lineup, including the first electric motorcycles to claim a range over 100 miles.
The first 2012 Zero model off the line was the Zero DS dual sport, available with a 6 or 9 kWh Z-Force powerpack. The 9 kWh version claims a range of 112 miles by measure of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) testing.
Zero also claims a range of 62 km when traveling at a highway speed of 70 mph. The 6 kWh version claims a range of 76 mils by the UDDS standard, and 42 miles at highway speed. Zero also claims a top speed of 80 mph for the 2012 DS. The street-oriented 2012 Zero S offers slightly better range, claiming 114 miles for the 9 kWh pack and 76 miles for the 6 kWh version (63 miles/43 miles at 70 mph).
Zero Motorcycles has signed a distribution deal with the Brazilian dealer network Grupo Izzo, bringing its electric motorcycles to first Brazil, and soon across South America.
Brazil is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for motorcycles, a market Zero hopes to tap with its new distribution deal. Grupo Izzo is based mainly in Brazil with 11 locations, but has plans to expand into other South American countries.
“Zero Motorcycles has experienced exceptional growth throughout Europe, and now we are pleased to be expanding our sales and distribution channels to Brazil to continue the enhancement of Zero’s international reach,” says John Lloyd, vice president of world wide sales for Zero Motorcycles. “Our partnership with Grupo Izzo will allow us to expand Zero Motorcycles’ presence in the Southern Hemisphere while giving motorcycle enthusiasts the opportunity to experience our high performance electric motorcycles throughout South America.”
