Charging an electric vehicle may be easy for those with garages, but not everybody has an outdoor outlet to plug into. Zero Motorcycles is making charging a bit easier by introducing a removable battery you can charge inside.
Zero’s new XU electric motorcycle features a removable 2 kWh battery and stand alone charger that can rejoice the battery in as little 1.2 hours. The Zero XU is a “city bike” with a maximum range of about 30 miles on a charge (rated at 25 miles by the EPA, and a top speed of around 51 mph. So its not exactly a record setting electric motorcycle in terms of range or speed.
However, the removable battery makes it so those without access to a garage or charging outlet can simply take the power pack and plug it in at home. Buying a second power pack means double the range, and makes the bike applicable for a Federal Tax Credit, lowering the $7,995 MSRP, and a typical charge (depending on where you live) costs just 21 cents.
21 cents for 25 miles of riding? I may suck at math, but that is pretty damn good, and the batteries have an estimated lifespan (at least 90% capacity) of 32,000 miles. Hopefully Zero will integrate this feature into their other models as well, which could make electric motorcycles much more appealing to apartment dwellers like me.
I have but one question; how much does the battery weigh? I live on the third floor of a three family home, and lugging a 50-lb pack up three flights of stairs every day doesn’t sound super appealing.
Source: Gas2.0
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