I do not understand how Daimler AG can sell an entire electric car for the same starting price of $12,995 as Zero's Zero S electric motorcycle.Ummm, fine print time.
Even more expensive in Australia. Don't know how they can justify these prices compared to USA and Europe.
Anyone have pricing for HongKong or South America?
ZERO S 8.5 $20,490
ZERO S 11.4 $23,390
ZERO SR $25,490
ZERO DS 11.4 $23,490
ZERO FX 5.7 $19,490
I wonder if Zero can sell more bikes by lowering the MSRP and adding a battery pack rental option.
I wonder if Zero can sell more bikes by lowering the MSRP and adding a battery pack rental option.
I'm very interested in this idea. The battery is a significant part of the price, if they were able to lease it or offer a "Battery Assurance Plan" like Smart Cars, then it may be possible to bring the cost of the bike down significantly. Zero would own the battery, but you would own the rest of the bike.
I hope they seriously consider this kind of option since it would probably help them move significantly more bikes.
$12500 Smart ED:
$25k base price
less $7500 federal rebate
less optional $5000 "Battery Assurance Plus" lease discount
= $12500
The Battery Assurance Plus program is an indefinite battery lease. It costs $80/month + taxes, and includes annual battery maintenance and a capacity guarantee.
One way to look at it is that you basically pay for the battery in 5 years. If you can finance the Smart ED at 0% interest for 60 months then the battery lease may not make financial sense.
However, another way to look at it is that the Smart ED with a leased battery is cheaper to buy outright than any gas Smart model, and it will almost certainly be less expensive to operate if driven regularly.
Smart gas costs approximately 10.6 cents per mile ($3.80/gal national average for 91 octane / 36 mpg combined). Call it 15 cents
Smart electric costs approximately 3.5 cents per mile ($0.11/kWh national average * 32 kWh/100 miles)
Smart electric saves $0.071/mile for fueling, so it'll probably be cheaper to drive 1000+ miles/month on electric than gas.
I think Zero could do that with the FX and its removable battery modules. But I would imagine that the S and DS models would require a complete redesign to make their batteries replaceable by the owner.
I know that I don't like the idea of paying any monthly fees after my initial purchase of a vehicle or anything else where I am not paying for an obvious service. That is why I always pay cash for everything that I buy and never buy anything on credit. Plus, once I buy something I never want to feel like the seller has me on the hook and will raise the monthly cost at will once I have taken the bait. So I would not be a customer for battery leasing. Personally, I would rather pay more upfront and own the batteries.
What price are people actually paying "out the door" for 2014 models?
It's a shame governments don't step in and help stimulate the market by providing proper subsidies to early adopters. These bikes would make a perfect replacement for thousands of commuter bikes and smoky 2 stroke scooters in many cities. Vastly higher sales would expedite EVs becoming mainstream. Economies of scale would kick in etc, etc.
It's a shame governments don't step in and help stimulate the market by providing proper subsidies to early adopters. These bikes would make a perfect replacement for thousands of commuter bikes and smoky 2 stroke scooters in many cities. Vastly higher sales would expedite EVs becoming mainstream. Economies of scale would kick in etc, etc.
I just received a check for $900 from CA as a rebate for the purchase of my 2014 Zero.
There is still hope that last year's U.S. Federal IRS rebate for electric motorcycles of 10% of their cost will be continued when the Congress considers the Federal budget (and income tax deductions) later this year - probably after this year's elections. I kind of expect them to just roll over the IRS code rather than try to make any changes for this year.
BTW, I think it would be fair to change the title of this thread to "Electric" motorcycles instead of singling out Zero. Particularly since both Zero and Brammo motorcycles are similarly priced.
I would hope that a financing mechanism to lease the battery would bring down the price of both brands of bikes.
@dkw12002 ++++++ In the long run the consumer will lose in a lease.
However, electric vehicles are much better to lease right now because you will probably want to upgrade your vehicle when the new ones come out.
| EV | $ Down | Months | $/Month | Total lease payments | MSRP | Remainder | % of MSRP paid by lease | Months to pay remainder |
| Brammo Empulse R | $2,469.35 | 48 | $299.00 | $16,821.35 | $18,995.00 (http://www.brammo.com/lease-program/) | $2,173.65 | 88.6% | 8 |
| Brammo Empulse | $2,209.35 | 48 | $269.00 | $15,121.35 | $16,995.00 (http://www.brammo.com/lease-program/) | $1,873.65 | 89.0% | 7 |
| Brammo Empulse R | $2,469.35 | 36 | $325.00 | $14,169.35 | $18,995.00 (http://www.brammo.com/lease-program/) | $4,825.65 | 74.6% | 15 |
| Brammo Empulse | $2,209.35 | 36 | $299.00 | $12,973.35 | $16,995.00 (http://www.brammo.com/lease-program/) | $4,021.65 | 76.3% | 14 |
| Smart For-Two ED | $1,999.00 | 36 | $139.00 | $7,003.00 | $12,490.00 (http://www.smartusa.com/models/electric-drive/overview.aspx/) | $5,487.00 | 56.1% | 40 |
| 2014 Nissan LEAF SL | $1,999.00 | 36 | $295.00 | $12,619.00 | $35,020.00 | $22,401.00 | 36.0% | 76 |
| Smart For-Two ED | $1,999.00 | 36 | $139.00 | $7,003.00 | $25,000.00 (http://en.ta64.smart.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/mpc-us-content-Site/en_EN/-/USD/Smart_CC-Line?lineCode=A03edc) | $17,997.00 | 28.0% | 130 |
| 2012 Nissan LEAF SL | $2,500.00 | 24 | $158.54 | $6,304.96 | $34,840.00 | $28,535.04 | 18.1% | 180 |