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[DynoMutt]

Additionally, such exhaust cans could be used for storage when the charging is not needed, with a storage "sleeve" to protect the backplane connections.  In any such situation, having some sort of minimal locking, like an ace key cabinet lock on the back/top of each can where the ESP120's outward air would be allowed to flow would make sense.  There would have to be slits toward the front to allow for inward air flow, but these would have to be protected from weather somehow.  I'd imagine that the ESP120 is not safe for any environmental exposure AT ALL.

[Joar79]

The 2014 Zero SR CHAdeMO kit has not been released by engineering.  I believe we are only a few weeks away, but I wouldn't be able to ship immediately. 

You asked about compatibility with an Eaton Charging Station.  Unfortunately, we have limited access to this brand and have not been able to perform thorough compatibility testing.  Our tests with the two systems in California were successful, but your customer may want to contact Eaton about this specific charge station to be sure.  The specific questions that should be directed toward Eaton are whether they implemented the full CHAdeMO specification and support voltages as low as 50V.

Regards,
Aaron Cheatham
Director of Customer Experience
Zero Motorcycles
@aaronzeromoto



.

I have talked to ABB ABB Wiki witch delivers all the CHAdeMO charging stations here in Norway, they have been in contact with Zero and tested the CHAdeMO charger on the bikes with no issues. ABB also told me that all their chargers around where I live support 50volts. So they say it will not be any issues for me if I get a CHAdeMO for my Zero SR. I think that ABB delivers most of the chargers here in Europe. So if not all, most of the stations will support 50volts.
ultrarnr, does this mean that there will be a CHAdeMO set for the Zero SR 2014 ? If I only could get me a set I would not think a minute about buying one. Is there anyone who can get me a set for my Zero SR 2014?
I WANT ONE! Please Zero!

Best regards

Joar

[ultrarnr]

Joar,

A CHAdeMO kit for a Zero is a dead issue at this point. I talked with Zero about two weeks ago on it. I think a big part of the problem is Zero engineers who don't realize the world is a lot larger than the state of California. If you look on Plugshare around Santa Cruz you will see a lot of CHAdeMO systems that are not going to work with a Zero. But that is a very poor representation of what the rest of the CHAdeMO landscape looks like. I live in North Carolina and nearly all of the CHAdeMO systems would work with the Zero but again Zero can't see past the state of California.

I think the larger concern right now is whether or not Zero will ever come out with L2 charging. For those of us with Elcons know that some L2 systems do not work because of needed BMS interface. GE Wattstations and PEP stations are examples. Also not every L2 station charges at 6.6Kw. Some go much lower so this is an issue for those who go with a single charger unless you can dial down the power. If you take the logic that Zero applied to the CHAdeMO systems and apply it to L2 charging I don't think Zero will ever go beyond L1 charging. Very sad.

[Joar79]

But have they not made any CHAdeMO sets for the Zero? Someone must have one?
We now have 1500 CHAdeMO chargers here in Europe. Its everywhere. And even Tesla have now approved and made their own CHAdeMO adapter for their cars. Its becoming more and more popular. How can they ignore this? I know about the risk of high voltage = no charge, case.
I only see CHAdeMO as the viable option, because it charges so fast that you can stop, eat a 50 min. lunch and then continue your journey. No other chargers are fast enough for this.

[Joar79]

Here is the response I got from ABB.

We have delivered fastchargers to the Zero Factory in USA and know that they work. Charge time is 30-60min depending on the batterypack and the temperature.
"The CHAdeMO protocol in the EU and the US is the same. Maybe there is a small difference in the cable (UL certified or CE certified) but the connector will fit and the protocol is the same.
ABB Terra charges are CHAdeMO 0.9 and 1.0 certified, so there is no problem to be expected with the protocol version.
One remark: Please note that the battery voltage of a motorcycle is in general lower than the battery voltage of a car. If this is the case, the charger will not be able to deliver full output power. The output current is limited to 120A, so for 50kW output a voltage of at least 416V is required."
Best regards
 
Arne Sigbjornsen
Local PG Manager EV Charging Infrastructure
ABB AS
Charging Infrastructure

[benswing]

Feel free to contact Zero directly about wanting a CHAdeMO and be sure to communicate to them that you understand it will not be compatible with all CHAdeMO stations and you still want it. 

I got a 2014 specifically for CHAdeMO capability and they have not and will not make a kit for 2014 Zeros.  There are some CHAdeMO kits on some 2013 bikes, but they will not supply any more for those either. 

All good points being made on this forum.  Fast charging is the only way forward (Tesla already figured this out), and Zero needs to provide a fast charging solution for mass adoption.  Right now as a company they feel like they have been burned by the CHAdeMO stations and have retreated.  I hope they figure out fast charging soon, as I desperately want it.  Desperately!

[Justin Andrews]

Fast charging is CRITICAL in terms of making any electric bike an all rounder capable of doing 250+ mile runs.

[Doug S]

@zero, if the chademo chargers won't give you 96-118vdc, can you maybe drop 250vdc to 96-118vdc??? http://www.absopulse.com/Absopulse_DC_DC_Converters.php

Having just been convinced by the good doc that it's legal to charge our batteries with a straight CC-CV scheme, this seems like a very promising avenue. Provided the DC-DC converter can operate in CC mode for an extended period, it should be fairly simple to plug into a CHAdeMO station with some simple electronics that says "I need 250VDC at no more than 50A", and then down-convert it with an appropriate DC-DC converter to ~115VDC with a current limit of no more than 100A. Done.

[firepower]

Your right most AC switch mode power supplies (SMPS) can run off high voltage DC (you dont need seperate DC to DC), It just means it be using 2 out of the 4 rectifying diodes, so as long as the 2 diodes can handle full load it should be good. IF we can get CHdeMO to supply the high Voltage DC to use instead of high voltage AC,  It may be even more efficient with higher voltage than 110VAC/230VAC.

Hope fully can use our existing  meanwells , Elcons, (cheap server powersupplys, etc)

DocBass use same technique using cheap laptop style AC to DC power supplies powered from 116DC from battery pack to generate 13.8VDC 10A for zero bikes instead of buying the expensive ZERO 12V DC kit.

Below is from wiki pedia

"If the SMPS has an AC input, then the first stage is to convert the input to DC. This is called rectification. A SMPS with a DC input does not require this stage."

"A SMPS designed for AC input can usually be run from a DC supply, because the DC would pass through the rectifier unchanged. If the power supply is designed for 115 VAC and has no voltage selector switch, the required DC voltage would be 163 VDC (115 × √2). This type of use may be harmful to the rectifier stage, however, as it will only use half of diodes in the rectifier for the full load. This could possibly result in overheating of these components, causing them to fail prematurely. On the other hand, if the power supply has a voltage selector switch for 115/230V (computer ATX power supplies typically are in this category), the selector switch would have to be put in the 230 V position, and the required voltage would be 325 VDC (230 × √2). The diodes in this type of power supply will handle the DC current just fine because they are rated to handle double the nominal input current when operated in the 115 V mode, due to the operation of the voltage doubler. This is because the doubler, when in operation, uses only half of the bridge rectifier and runs twice as much current through it. It is uncertain how an Auto-ranging/Active-PFC type power supply would react to being powered by DC."

To upgrade the rectifying diodes is simple just replace the 4 diodes (or diode bridge)with higher voltage/current specs if needed.
 

[Doug S]

I'd be a little concerned about using an AC power supply, firepower. It will certainly work in the situation you describe, where the PS has a rectifier bridge and capacitor filtering right on the front end, but I don't know that that's always the case with these mega-power supplies these days. Some of them use "active rectification", i.e. MOSFETs instead of diodes, and some include "active power factor correction", other electronics in front of the rectifiers to reduce the switching junk directed back onto the line. Active rectifiers might have the problem you describe, where you're only using two of the four devices, so they overheat, and power factor correcting circuitry could go haywire in all sorts of ways.

I think it's fine to use that technique on cheap, low-power supplies, like doc does, but I'd be reluctant to try it on a 1kW+ piece of highly-engineered equipment.

[Joar79]

Feel free to contact Zero directly about wanting a CHAdeMO and be sure to communicate to them that you understand it will not be compatible with all CHAdeMO stations and you still want it. 

I got a 2014 specifically for CHAdeMO capability and they have not and will not make a kit for 2014 Zeros.  There are some CHAdeMO kits on some 2013 bikes, but they will not supply any more for those either. 

All good points being made on this forum.  Fast charging is the only way forward (Tesla already figured this out), and Zero needs to provide a fast charging solution for mass adoption.  Right now as a company they feel like they have been burned by the CHAdeMO stations and have retreated.  I hope they figure out fast charging soon, as I desperately want it.  Desperately!

Have sent all the sales/support departments a couple of mails. Never got any response. But when I get in contact with anyone, they just say that they dont sell them any more. Agree, fast charging is the way to go. I really hope they figure it out soon too. But we need 0-100% charging under 1 hour.

[DynoMutt]

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/

I wonder what would prevent their RAV4 CHAdeMO solution from working on the Zeros.

[MotoRyder]

I wonder what would prevent their RAV4 CHAdeMO solution from working on the Zeros.

Checked it out the FAQs and it seems like they keep the information fairly close to the vest.
Only their prior approved technicians or some Toyota dealerships can install the kit.
Probably not too likely for customization in DIY fashion for Zeros (or others).
It seems that some in the dealer network might see a potential market here for $$$ technician work.

[MotoRyder]

And if Quick Charge Power hasn't been paying attention, someone should let them know that there's an eager market with the Electric Motorcycle enthusiasts, and they could quickly grow their customer base and revenues with some focus this way.

[firepower]

have also asked about feeding SMPS with DC at eevblog.

http://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/powering-ac-smps-from-hv-dc/