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.
Events / Promotions
American motocross pioneer, race team manager and motorcycle industry executive Mark Blackwell is getting another honor: being recognized as an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend. Blackwell, who was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2000, will be feted alongside the 2013 induction class during AMA Legends Weekend, Oct. 18-19 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino in Las Vegas.
Blackwell will be honored alongside Torsten Hallman, another member of the of 2000 class, who will be recognized as a Legend for helping introduce motocross to America and for founding gear maker Thor. Like Hallman, Blackwell excelled at several different facets of the motorcycle industry.
As a racer, Blackwell was one of America’s first motocross racing stars, competing in the late ’60s and early ’70s. In 1970, Blackwell was hired to ride for Husqvarna and traveled to Sweden to train with the factory riders. He came back to the U.S. the following year and raced in the Trans-AMA series, winning the American class title by beating Brad Lackey by a single point. In 1972, Blackwell won the prestigious Daytona Motocross before returning to international racing in Europe. Continue Reading »
Zero Motorcycles has announced a new model designed for military use. The 2013 Zero MMX was designed specifically for the U.S. Special Operations Forces who could take advantage of a silent-running vehicle capable of moving rapidly over rough terrain.
The MMX is based on the Zero MX but was developed under contract with the U.S. military to add a number of features not available on the civilian model. An undisclosed number of Zero MMX models are currently undergoing full operational testing.
The Zero MMX uses a keyless ignition system for quick departures, integrated wiring for front and rear infrared systems, a switchable headlight for running stealthily at night, a safety override switch and reserve power capabilities. The MMX also offers improved water protection so it can continue to operate even when submersed in up to a meter of water. Continue Reading »
Zero Motorcycles announced the addition of Pieter De Waal as the newest member of its board of directors.
De Waal provides Zero with more than 30 years of experience in the automotive and motorcycle industries. Formerly of Nissan, Delta (General Motors), Mercedes Benz and, most recently, BMW, De Waal has experience dealing with many facets of the industry, from engineering to sales.
In addition to joining Zero’s board of directors, De Waal will also be a consultant on future business strategies including powertrain initiatives. The move follows Zero’s pattern of attracting experienced motorcycle industry executives. Previous additions include hiring AMA Hall of Famer Scot Harden as vice president of global marketing. Continue Reading »
Zero Motorcycles has released a new mobile phone app that can be used to adjust a motorcycle’s performance.
Available for Apple iOS and Android, the Zero Motorcycles App is compatible with all 2013 models as well as any future models. The app allows riders to connect their Zero motorcycles to their smartphones via Bluetooth, turning the phone into a dashboard displaying live data including speed, motor torque, battery charge level, estimated range and motor temperature.
Perhaps the most interesting feature however is the ability to adjust the performance characteristics of a motorcycle. Users can adjust a Zero motorcycle’s top speed, torque and regenerative braking levels to optimize battery life. Continue Reading »
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 announced a new “Cash for Carbon” promotion, offering a $2500 bonus on trade-ins of gas-powered motorcycles when purchasing a new 2012 model.
A take on U.S. government’s 2009 “Cash for Clunkers” Car Allowance Rebate System, Zero will give consumers the $2500 on top of the regular trade-in value of their old internal combustion engined motorcycles for one of Zero’s electric models. The Cash for Carbon campaign runs from Jan. 1 to March 31.
The trade-in incentive is on top of the 10% tax credit for electric motorcycles that was recently renewed as part of the governement’s American Tax Relief Act of 2012 (a.k.a. the Fiscal Cliff act.) 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.
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 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 »
