Charging a Zero Motorcycle

[@markkitaoka8783]

Thank you. This is precisely what I wanted to know about the Charge Tank.

[@jaysonstebbins2539]

If you had a circuit breaker dedicated directly to that outlet then just plug in and kick the breaker on. No arc at all bud. 😀 can't wait to get mine! Thanks for the video!

[@sissonsk]

I just got my Zero S last week and took it on a trial run Saturday. The ambient temp was 87F when I left in the morning and was approaching 100F when I returned. The battery was at 10% when I started charging and stopped at 57% with a flashing temp light. The battery was very hot to the touch. I put a fan on it and the temp dropped to 104F and it started charging again. So, temp is important, apparently. Zero says the battery will stop charging at above 122F. I took your advice on unplugging from the male end of the charging cord and there was a sizeable spark emitted. A spark that big can't be good for the bike end.

[@AuRowe]

It's generally recommended to do the opposite on charging anything. Don't plug up to the wall after the bike. Plug into the wall first is the go-to advice from electrical professionals I've talked to

[@HansSoloYolo]

Great video man! What kind of range are you getting as an average? I live in Rindge, planning on commuting a lot on 101/119 so 50-55mph mainly.

[@gauthier8822]

What are the chances this guy lives in Rindge lol

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

I think I have a simple question but I can't find the answer... I live in an apartment on the 3rd floor. No elevator and no available outlets in the parking garage. Can the battery be removed and charged in my apt? Thanks.

[@howcin]

Not on this bike. On some other models, I believe the FX, the battery is removable and can be charged off the bike. Those are much smaller though, around 3 or 4kwh packs.

[@moranatal22]

Hi Do you like this motorcycle? It’s worth the money?

[@ianhobie123]

Its a ridiculous con that the charge tank is an option so you can't charge at public stations while out unless you shell out thousands more. Its the reason i didn't buy a zero. Shame really.

[@LexSummer]

Hey budy... Back in 2018 i was able to charge my SR with 6kW and aditional 1.3kW from the belly pan charger so in total 7.3kW when i pluged in both cables. Its is kinda ridiculous having two independend converter onboard.. but it is like it is. ;) try it.

[@howcin]

I had this thought but I read something in the manual about not doing that. I'll have to give a second look.

[@LexSummer]

@@howcin So far i know... there is no issue with that. i did it several times... lookig forward to your chargeing v2.0 vid ;)

[@howcin]

@@LexSummer Thanks for the support man. Checking out your channel, you have some sweet vids.

[@LexSummer]

@@howcin Thanks... yea man. im allways lucky to see ppl vloging on electric motorcycles. 🤙🏼

[@howcin]

Ah I just reread it. It says "Note: For motorcycles with a ZF7.2 battery pack, using the On-Board charger in conjunction with the Charge Tank is not supported because it will exceed the max charging rate for the battery pack. A fault code will display on the dash and the motorcycle will not charge at the expected rate." So I will give it a shot sometime!

[@djdevontay]

I want to get a j port on an electric motorcycle that you don’t need license for. They take up to that long as well. 8-12 hrs.

[@thebrucewagner]

Has Zero ever responded to the question about why they don't have a charging limit option?

[@howcin]

Zero is a work in progress company. Their top end Zeros do support target charging.

[@thebrucewagner]

@@howcin I own two Zero SR/S bikes. They are the top of the line. How do I turn on "target charging"?

[@stevebentley4516]

@@howcin Headsup, I think the zero batteries never actually charge to 100%. You can really only charge them to about 85 or 90%. But Zero calls that 100%. Could be wrong. But that is my understanding.

[@rryan01]

Yea from what I hear 100% is 80% they seem to hide a section of the battery from public use, look at there new range of bikes u can unlock more battery by paying $2500 within the app, no extra hardware is needed, so you basically unlocking the existing battery’s 20%

[@riavinod971]

Awesome video! Do you know if you're charging your bike at a ChargePoint station (J1772), if there's any way to use the Delta-Q quick charger that Zero sells? Or you're only able to connect the Quick Charger at home?

[@IIARROWS]

Giving that you live in the USA, you should really plug the outlet first... the bike end doesn't "spark", because the contacts are insulated.

[@howcin]

If the contacts were insulated, they wouldn't be contacts. :P

[@dingeskes]

I'm actually quite interested in your setup,seems solar panels with invertors and everything! Man panel small enough,constant charging zero's,oof the range!

[@thebrucewagner]

Excellent information. I live in Westerville Ohio and am thinking about ordering a zero SR/S. Can you route a long road trip charging at Level 2 chargers across America? Is that practical yet? Also, are there Level 2 chargers in the rural countryside yet?

[@howcin]

I live in New Hampshire and get along decently using this motorcycle. Although like all EVs, it's not as convenient as gas. I would not say it's practical to go across America like that. It is DOABLE, but to stop every 100 or so miles and wait at least an hour, and on a specific planned route? That's hardly motorcycle touring. For this reason I have a gas motorcycle I keep around.

[@rushd45]

Sure there are many apps that will tell you where J1772 charging stations. Just use the same ones that EV's use and make sure you select J1772 for the charging stations.

[@_Meriwether]

...so if I get it with the Power Tank, I can _only_ charge it with the standard level 1 charging? Or am I wrong?

[@howcin]

That's right

[@_Meriwether]

@@howcin Oof.

[@howcin]

@@_Meriwether I'll sell you my Zero. $15,500. Only 2,000 miles. Warranty good until 2025.

[@_Meriwether]

@@howcin I will pass for now, thank ya :D

[@gauthier8822]

What's with ev and charger arcing lol my onewheel does it, my electric bike does it too

[@allencintas105]

What is the level 2 charger you use and where did your get it? Thanks!

[@howcin]

Idk the brand. Just some generic portable charger I got off Facebook Marketplace.

[@markkitaoka8783]

Today I am going to combine the 6kW EVSE charging with a J1772/110v plug to see how much it reduces the charge time.

[@howcin]

7.2kw charging cranks. I love when a public station has a 110v outlet with a J1772.

[@markkitaoka8783]

@@howcin Great to know. I may have not explained myself well. I have a J1772 plug with a C13 end which will plug into the 'computer style' power port on the side of the Zero. The onboard charger has an autoswitch 110/220v unit so it's not a problem. I'm not trying to look for an EVSE station that has a 110v plugin. I had to make two Chargepoint accounts to use TWO J plugs at the same time. Make sense? I'm currently writing an article for WebBikeWorld documenting my experience owning a Zero DSR. It will be published in late May 2021. I'm also developing a website about the bike. Don't want to put the URL here to steal any of your thunder.

[@howcin]

@@markkitaoka8783 Ah, that input. Is the charge tank adon just a port that routes to the onboard charger you already get standard? Or does it have it's own 6kw converter and the standard is seperate for only up to 1.2kw?

[@markkitaoka8783]

@@howcin The charge tank is a stand alone unit that is separate from the 1.3kW onboard 110/220v charger. So with the Charge Tank you basically have two separate on board chargers. I went with the charge tank after owning a Cake Kalk& which I returned to Cake. NOT being able to 'fuel up' while on the road to me is akin to only being able to 'gas up' my car at home. In the Bay Area EVSE stations are 10:1 versus gas stations.

[@vuo7ng]

Your license plate (ANCAP) means "stolen" in Vietnamese 😂

[@howcin]

Here it means Anarcho-Capitalism. Or Andy Cap hot fries snack from the gas station.

[@timmerjared]

howcin haha nice you should watch Dollar Vigilante. Also just ordered a dsr 👽

[@howcin]

@@timmerjared Move to New Hampshire with your Zero and join the Free State Project.

[@howcin]

Did you move to New Hampshire yet?

[@benjaminking215]

Thanks for the video!

[@coderancher01]

Can someone tell me if the Zero Battery are memory storage batteries? And what is the EStimated Charge time on Z14 battery

[@virgilmanson214]

I wonder if you could rewire it to accept those tesla charging stations

[@howcin]

No, Tesla is pumping DC power at hundreds of amps. This is designed to accept AC as the charger is on board. Also Tesla stations need to authenticate the car before charging.

[@virgilmanson214]

@@howcin ty

[@pinkiepie1656]

You need more than simple rewiring. The Tesla stations communicate with the vehicle.

[@katall334]

Can you plug in both level 1 and 2 charging at the same time for even faster charging?

[@howcin]

Yes

[@markkitaoka8783]

I have written confirmation from a Zero engineer that as long as the battery is larger than the 7.2kW version AND you use Zero's approved J1772/110/220v charge cable combining level 2 charge tanks with the onboard 110/220v charger is fine.

[@TheKnightsShield]

So it says around an hour to charge to full when using the charge tank, but how long would it take to charge to 80%?

[@howcin]

I don't know I've never timed that.

[@TheKnightsShield]

@@howcin Ok, not to worry.

[@markkitaoka8783]

FYI I charged from 44 to 91% in 44 minutes at an EVSE level 2 station. Just enough time to wolf down my sandwich.

[@TheKnightsShield]

@@markkitaoka8783 That's good to know (the charging bit, not the sandwich wolfing) should alleviate any fears that I might end up spending an eternity waiting for it to hit 80-90%.

[@markkitaoka8783]

@@TheKnightsShield I just did the first Charge Tank w/J1772 C13 plug combination today. According to ChargePoint the chargetank was accepting 6.2kW and the 110/220v normal charger was at 1.3kW for a total of 7.5kW. Happy with that. I'll be posting all of this in my article and on my website.

[@stephenmattthew]

How much does it cost to charge it?

In my country it will be like 2$, if you calculate some conversion lost during transmission it might be like 2.30$ :) Not sure the electricity price in US - I guess it's similar. But here we have bigger tax on petrol, so comparison petrol vs. electricity will be more efficient in EU :)

[@chadnewton]

Hi, I would really have loved to see you edit the Custom mode. I can clone or create a new one but can't edit the settings, the Save Changes doesn't work!

[@aaronspain3387]

You do realised that switched outlets exist for a reason?

[@howcin]

I've never heard of such technology.

[@2timez10]

Someone just got this bike for me today. How long does the charge last for ?

[@2timez10]

Assuming I was riding it all in one shot

[@gauthier8822]

They just got it for you?

[@kutykutyka]

My question is , can a Zero SR battery be harmed by forgetting about it and leave it on its own for months ? As it gradually discharges would that cause it to lose it's ability to hold a charge properly?

[@howcin]

If left dead or completely topped off, it can cause advanced degradation. If parked at 60% or so, no. This is how the manual recommenders storing it. It loses very little power while sitting. Usually check on it every couple months or so.

[@kutykutyka]

@@howcin Thanks for the answer. I've given an offer on a used 2015 SR, but I'm also doing research because it turns out that the bike is actually worth about $6000, but the batteries are $10 000 so it's a very tricky purchase and if the previous owner didn't do it right, I could make a big mistake by buying into his mess up. Same thing when a gas powered bike in storage with 800 miles on it sits for 8 years and the ad says almost new, not even broken in, awesome deal. Probably the engine in all rusted inside, engine oil acidic, etc. It's a bit easier to tell on a gas powered knowing the history and giving a test ride, but with electric if the owner isn't honest how he managed the bike, you'd only find out battery degradation when you put those 50-60 miles on it the first time and it's at 0% from 100% instead of the 80-90 miles expected. Scary to hand out cash like this in someone's garage with no warranty. I'm thinking now if I asked him to charge it 100% before I get there, the screen should show what the assumed range should be for that charge. I don't know :) I'm just concerned about the battery health on a 2015 with 2500 miles.

[@djy69]

Electrician 101. Plug line side in first.

[@PersonalFoul645]

603

[@howcin]

Where it's a fact guy, don't know any hispanics and just one black guy.