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Topics - alexanderfoti

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General Discussion / Bad news for UK riders

« on: July 08, 2016, 01:12:25 AM »

Hi all

Ecotrcity are the most ubiquitous charge points in the UK, with at least one of their charge points being made available at nearly every services on the UK motorway network.

Up until today, there had been no charge to use these charge points, this will change from the end of July.

To use one of these charge points, there is now a flat charge of Â£5 per 20 minutes (!!!!!)

I understand having to charge for power, but that rate is ridiculous. Its also pointless for those of us that use slow charging, as a 20 minute top up at 1.2kw is a waste of time (especially at Â£5!) That's considerably more pricey than even a large engined ICE bike.

What a load of...

Home Brew / Custom charging adapters

« on: June 27, 2016, 02:52:31 AM »

Hi all

In the UK, most public charging points are Type 2 (Mennekes - 62196-2 ) connectors. Others are available but type 2 is the most ubiquitous.

On the road, at the bare minimum, I'm going to need a type 2 -> C13 adapter to utilise the on board charger (1.3kw)

Assuming I build my Eltek charging pack (8KW), I am going to need a Type 2 -> multiple C13 connectors. The problem is that the charging stations all have difference KW ratings, some are 43KW (?) Others 7KW etc...

Whats the best way to deal with this? Is all power available at once, or does the amount of power available need to be negotiated? If all available, I can choose to plug in 4 KW worth of eltek + onboard if a 7kw station is available (for example)

This would be quite good, because I can choose whether to carry my eltek charging system in the top box or not, depending on route etc.

Sorry if this is info thats already about, I did find lots of info on J1772 charging but not for type 2 stuff.

Home Brew / DIY Charging system

« on: June 19, 2016, 03:27:39 AM »

Hi all

I am planning on buying the diginow charger for the Zero SR, but in the meantime am looking for a cheap charging system to use at home (non portable).

Can I run 2 Eltek Flatpack 1800 48v PSU's in series. Output voltage is adjustable to 58V max, thinking of running them to 108 volts or so and keeping the onboard charger plugged in at the same time to to balancing etc past 108 volts to 116volts float voltage.

Connected via the Aux connector. Anybody see any issues with this?

Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ / UK Riders - help please :)

« on: June 17, 2016, 09:30:53 PM »

Hi all

I am finding is very very difficult (read impossible) to get insurance on the 2016 zero SR here on the UK. Primarily because, its missing an insurance group rating??? The Zero DSR is NOT missing the rating, and I can get insured on it very easily.

People who ride an SR in the UK, who are you insured with?

Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ / New to Electric biking - 2016 SR ZF13

« on: June 16, 2016, 02:36:05 AM »

Hi all.

I recently test rode a Zero SR (and today a Zero DSR) and I am pretty blown away.

First and foremost, its torque delivery is something else! I cant imagine what something like the Lightning LS218 would be like.
I do appreciate its overall power isn't "blazing fast" but the way it delivers it makes it feel like a 1000cc sports bike between 25-65mph.

I am a big Eco rider, trying to eek out the most miles per unit of fuel (I have built 4 diesel engined motorbikes that run on waste vegetable oil) and have a NC700 honda at the moment (good usable eco bike)

I am currently trying to secure a deal on a new zero SR. As is usual in the UK, you have to do all the work for the dealers, even on a Â£14,000 bike.

My rides are a bit of a random combination, but in the UK many charging points are free to use. I won't be specifying the charge tank option as I believe there are better options, which brings me to my question.

What are the best fast charge options at the moment, it seems digikeys offering is the best, but I am having issues getting an idea of price. Most units in the UK have the Mennekes connector on them, and I am not that bothered about fast charging at home.

Should that change, are there better fast charge options at home (wall mounted chargers etc?)

Thanks all!