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[NEW2elec]

Forum member Sam Baker is still planing on test riding one mid January.  That's the only source I believe at this point.
For his sake I hope it's everything Lightning said it would be, for the price they said it would be.

[Richard230]

That company is definitely powered by hot air.   

[wavelet]

Lightning is a genius company. They got Electrek and motor journalists to post whatever they say, over and over again. It's mind boggling. No one asks hard hitting questions? Interviews "customers" (that no one's seen, besides a guy with a prototype LS?). It's like we live in Bizarro World.

Even in the last week they're still regurgitating what Lightning says. https://ww.electrek.co/2019/12/19/lightning-strike-electric-motorcycle-deliveries-secret-project/

Elektrek isn't a source for anything, and have nothing to do with journalism. All they do is republish press releases, mostly by Tesla. Their "writers" know nothing about EVs.

[wavelet]

Seventeen bikes is like what?  That's like nearly no bikes.  I'd believe him if he said 17.

Like, that's such a small number as to be invisible.

-Crissa

Not quite.
17 is infinitely as many times as 0.
The unbelievable part isn't the number. It's that out of such a number, quite a few would be posting about it in forums, publishing first-ride videos, journalists would have reported on it etc.
And in e-motorcycle terms, the number isn't that low for a couple of months of initial production, esp. if ramping up.
The largest player worldwide by far is Zero, who make, by all sources (they don't publish official numbers), a low-four-digits of bikes per year; it was probably 2K last year, maybe twice that one of the preceding years.
Noone else makes more than hundreds per year.
e-scooters & e-mopeds are a whole different story: In China alone, the market is ~15M/year, and India is even larger.

[MVetter]

Steamed hams but it’s Lightning Motorcycles

[SBK74]

If the author is from the UK, it’s even more strange that there is no word of Energica (or did I misread?). From start ups I would expect proud posts on social media when bikes are being delivered.

[Richard230]

If the author is from the UK, it’s even more strange that there is no word of Energica (or did I misread?). From start ups I would expect proud posts on social media when bikes are being delivered.

You didn't miss anything. The article read like a promotional for Lightning, rather than anything useful for anyone interested in the Strike.  Reading the article led me to believe that the author was riding that blue prototype that showed up in the drone video last spring, shortly after the Strike was announced. I also got the feeling that he was paid by the word.   

[HoodRichOG]

Looks like another white Strike was delivered.

Again with the J1772 port. So it's not a "Carbon".

Looks less like a prototype now, the motor casings are cast and not CNC like the first delivery.

Check the Lightning FB group for more details.

[MVetter]

You can tell it was cast from these photos? I can't.

[MVetter]

Also check out this sweet dash and CycleAnalyst showing the pack at 128 vdc. Do the math on it for the voltage of the cells and it turns out the delivered Strike operates at 150 vdc, meaning incapable of CCS charging which has a minimum of 200. Allowing it to use CCS will mean:

- A new charge inlet

- charge controller

- Complete re-wiring of the battery pack (or, more likely, an entirely new pack)

- replace the level 2 onboard charger that is outputting 150 vdc to a unit that outputs 300 vdc

Apparently it's a $1500 upgrade so that's a heck of a value!

[HoodRichOG]

It's hard to tell, but it looks cast since it's not shiny CNC milled like the previous Strike.

Either way, it looks like they delivered two Strikes, but it's unclear if these are real "production" bikes.

I agree the Carbon Strike would need a totally different battery/charge controller/wiring. Still waiting for evidence of a carbon Strike existing, whether in prototype form or not.

[MVetter]

I'm also told that the rippling or uneven/non-straight lines in the bodywork are because it is hand laid carbon. They appear to be quite proud of that.

[Doug S]

Also check out this sweet dash and CycleAnalyst showing the pack at 128 vdc.

I'm not sure where you're seeing that. Are you interpreting the "PK 128.29" as referring to pack voltage? Since the entry immediately after that is "AVG 3.6", I'm interpreting it as "peak", not "pack". Charging current, maybe? Discharge current?

It's hard to imagine the bikes that can DC charge and the bikes that can't are configured completely differently in terms of battery voltage. They do use the same motors, we know.

[MVetter]

AVG 3.6 was the individual cell voltage. Because he's low on charge. They're seriesed up.

128.29 / 3.56 = 36.03...

Ok, 36 cells. Those cells have a max of 4.15 vdc

4.15 x 36 = 149.4 vdc aka ~150 vdc

150 volts

[wavelet]

Also check out this sweet dash and CycleAnalyst showing the pack at 128 vdc.

I'm not sure where you're seeing that. Are you interpreting the "PK 128.29" as referring to pack voltage? Since the entry immediately after that is "AVG 3.6", I'm interpreting it as "peak", not "pack". Charging current, maybe? Discharge current?

It's hard to imagine the bikes that can DC charge and the bikes that can't are configured completely differently in terms of battery voltage. They do use the same motors, we know.

Yes, I can't see it either. That would make the design work very complex, SW would need to be different for each case, lots more testing, different thermal envelopes when charging/discharging; not to mention different conductor thicknesses for different amperages. And the cheaper bikes with no DC charger and lower system voltage would need the more expensive cables... Unless all the bikes get the thick cables which isn't weight- or cost-efficient.
If they're doing this, it's not series production.