ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: CrashCash on January 04, 2015, 03:37:27 AM
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Made by Zero Motorcycles.
Powered by Duke Energy.
Purchased with the earnings from my UCF education.
I wuvs it, I do!
(Edit: the sad part is the reason I never got my degree... I flunked electrical physics. 4 times.)
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Cool, you get yours at Orlando Kawasaki on Colonial? I used to ride my 2012 Zero all over Orlando. They are a ChargePoint city and have charging stations everywhere installed by OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission) Get a fast charging kit from Harlan at Hollywood Electrics and a Level 2 socket and you can go anywhere.
Memory Mall on UCF campus has solar chargers with 4 parking spaces there for free.
How many 2015 SR's are now on the roads in Florida? Anyone know? It seems I've read about quite a few.
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Congrats! Welcome to the club and enjoy!! :)
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I used to use the ChargePoint at Buffalo Wild Wings on Colonial near Alafaya every morning an grab breakfast at the Panera Bread next door. There are so many ChargePoint stations in Orlando, I could ride 300 miles a day and charge everywhere I wanted to stop within a few blocks. But you need to get the J1772 adapter and an off board charger to take full advantage. But not necessary. When I come back to Orlando later this year I'll let you know and we can go ride! Enjoy the new SR! If you have motorcycle friends, make sure you encourage them to go test ride one! They will thank you many times over as most will end up trading in their gas bike for sure.
I used to say (back in 2012) "the future is electric". I still say it sometimes, but in reality, its here now. :)
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I also discovered "don't use a cheap laptop power cable as a spare" - that thing got HOT and the insulation got very soft.
Definitely don't do this. Most computer cables are rated for only 10 amps. Our charging typically exceeds that and I believe are charging cables are rated at 15 amps or so. Your dealer can order an extra if you need one, CORD CHARGE 3M NA (p/n 60-01769). I have also seen recommendations on the forums that might be good but I can't recommend because I haven't tested and we don't sell them. ;)
Regards,
aaronzeromoto
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So 15A cables, etc. are OK? I ask because my 15A (1875W) power strip resets (trips) after charging the bike for a few hours. It is pretty old, so it may be getting trippy in its old age [emoji15] I might replace it with a 12AWG 15A triple-output cord. This is the best pre-made solution I can find, except for a 20A power strip... but that would require a 20A outlet (mine is 15A). Of course, plugging straight into the wall is ideal, but not practical in my garage.
Also, what are you guys using for timers (for cheaper electricity in the middle of the night)? All timers I have found (in stores) are 15A.
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Congratulations, and I can honestly say that I am jealous. Good luck with it and hope you have a blast with it! Hope to be on the road with mine in a month or two. Keep sharing your experiences with us, I love reading about how awesome the bike is from everyone. Enjoy the weather as well, can't wait to get out of the teens here!
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Also, what are you guys using for timers (for cheaper electricity in the middle of the night)? All timers I have found (in stores) are 15A.
Jeath what bike do you have with what battery size? And what percentage are you when you usually plug in?
If you were about 25% with a 12.5 and powertank, and waited to plug in right before you went to bed at 10:00, you would finish charging between 5 and 6 in the morning, right before time of use rates usually go up again. Go to the garage and plug in right before you go to bed is my suggestion. A timer would be doing the same thing, and be something that could malfunction. What are the details of your time of use rate plan?
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So 15A cables, etc. are OK?
Yes, 15A is adequate. I'm an EE, I borrowed a friend's Kill-A-Watt meter overnight once and the current peaked at just over 13A. That's what I expected to see; a standard wall outlet is fused (or, more often, circuit breaker-ed) at 15A, and they want to leave a LITTLE bit of headroom in case you've got a lamp or something else plugged into the same circuit. Nobody likes nuisance tripping.
Cheap power strips use cheap devices; a cheap circuit breaker or MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor, the device that provides surge suppression) might work fine when new, but their performance (especially the MOV's performance) can degrade pretty badly over time.
Get yourself a new one, or just a new 15A extension cord, and you'll be fine. 14-gauge wire is fine unless you're really concerned about keeping the extension cord very cool.
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Also, what are you guys using for timers (for cheaper electricity in the middle of the night)? All timers I have found (in stores) are 15A.
Jeath what bike do you have with what battery size? And what percentage are you when you usually plug in?
If you were about 25% with a 12.5 and powertank, and waited to plug in right before you went to bed at 10:00, you would finish charging between 5 and 6 in the morning, right before time of use rates usually go up again. Go to the garage and plug in right before you go to bed is my suggestion. A timer would be doing the same thing, and be something that could malfunction. What are the details of your time of use rate plan?
Hey Terry,
Sorry for the late response...
I've got a 2015 SR, with 12.5 battery. My commute uses 15-20%, so I don't need to charge much when I get home.
I'm on PG&E time-of-use rates, with partial-peak starting at 9pm, and off-peak starting at 11pm. I don't want to rely on having to remember to plug it in before going to bed, or I'll easily forget one day. Also, my garage is not easy to get to, so I'd rather just plug it in when I get home.
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This Block heater timer should do the trick
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tools-hardware/electrical-tools-accessories/electrical-supplies-parts/timers/noma-multi-purpose-timer-0528835p.html (http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tools-hardware/electrical-tools-accessories/electrical-supplies-parts/timers/noma-multi-purpose-timer-0528835p.html)
datasheet:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/content/dam/canadian-tire/manuals/0528835_instructionManual_NOMA.pdf (http://www.canadiantire.ca/content/dam/canadian-tire/manuals/0528835_instructionManual_NOMA.pdf)
It says it is good for 15A, and with dual outlets it would be easy to have it light up an LED lamp or something so if you have line of sight to your garage you could see that it was powered on.
Being canadian I just thought of block heater timers first as they are pretty common.
you could install a fancier programmable switch like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-RPLS730B1000-U-7-Day-Programmable/dp/B004SOZHXY (http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-RPLS730B1000-U-7-Day-Programmable/dp/B004SOZHXY)
it also suggests that it is good for up to 2400W
-ryan