Please be aware that China is actually really good at automation. If you don't think so, look at your phone.
Automation is great, but its expensive and time consuming to design custom production lines, so in most cases, it requires volume. Good manufactures do manual where it makes sense and automation when it makes sense. Tesla is learning this lesson right now.
The problem with Zero is that Zero has zero volume. Other industries would laugh at Zero's volume and that means that Zero does not have a lot of buying power. I'm sure some of Zero's parts are off the shelf, but I don't think there is much volume there either.
What I want in 2019 is for Zero to increase it sales, make a profit and improve their company - better service, better reliability, lower prices, more models and accessories. I don't know, but based on Zero's cash injections last year, I don't think they are profitable yet. I've heard former employees say that they need to double there sales to break even.
I think tariffs are stupid. They may protect a American job that his hanging by a thread, but I don't think it would get one back.
+1
It just seems so damn difficult for Zero to sell their bikes. Putting aside Policemen patrolling parks, movie makers (conveniently local) and nerds (I include myself in that category), nobody wants to touch them. Zeros are motorcycles after all, which seems to exclude about 99% of the population. 99% of bikers stop listening as soon as you start talking about range and charging times. It's a really a tough sell.
So perhaps Zero should invest in some marketing that firstly spreads the word and then challenges some of the false assumptions people have.
I've just spent two and a half years riding my Zero and have clocked up 25,000 miles. During those two years I've benefited from extremely low running costs. Putting reliability issues aside, it has been a dream to own and use regularly. No maintenance, no visits to petrol stations, etc, etc... All that time I thought I was riding the very best bike for my commute bar the more powerful SR or DSR models.
Just recently I bought a Honda CB1000R, you know, the funky new one. It drinks fuel, needed a service after only 600 miles, has gears to change, a chain to lube every 200 miles (every few days for me) and I've managed to stall it, crunch the gears, find false neutrals, put it in neutral when I needed a gear, etc, etc...
So, which is the best bike for my commute? The Honda. It is just so much more fun! In fact, it's so much fun that I absolutely don't give a damn about how much it's costing me in petrol. The act of filling it up has become a welcome reminder that I'm using it and having the time of my life! What an amazing bike!!! It's lively, has a real spirit to it, suits me perfectly and is a dream to ride. What's more, it's a lot safer than my Zero because it accelerates faster, breaks quicker, has more grip and has that all important traction control. The fact that it looks superb is just the icing on the cake.
Bikes like the Honda CB1000R are what Zero is up against. They need to make a bike that is more compelling than the current crop of top end bikes. I think it's possible. Why? Because of all the shortcomings that ICE bikes have and we're all so familiar with.
There is no doubt in my mind that electric motorcycles will get a healthy share of the market eventually. My list of things they need to introduce as soon as they can is:
Aerodynamic fairings for a touring bike.
200 miles+ of range at a constant 70-80mph.
Active thermal management for all the components that need it (motor and battery mainly).
Traction control
Rapid charging capable of 20-85% SoC in five minutes.
Weight as low as possible, but keeping in mind that a BMW 1600RT weighs around 380kg. You can get a really decent battery pack in a big bike like that.
I'd make a big tourer that was inspired by the 1600RT but weighs 350kg, has a range of 250 miles and all the gadgets etc with a price tag a couple of thousand below the RT. Chuck in a really sweet breakdown recovery package too so if someone does get stuck while touring, they get very quick five star treatment. So good in fact that they'll be begging the bike to breakdown because their holiday will improve!
Make a no frills commuter that is the same price as the competition, faster and costs nothing to run.
I'm sure that some of that is possible with current technology. If not, it will be in five years time.
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Topic: What do we want for 2019? (Read 14882 times)