The Electric Motorcycle Thread

[MikeL]

Wow!

Seriously, this looks amazing.

Most electric bikes look awful. Really like the look of this one.

I like the specs on this, this would be a great city bike for someone without an utterly insane commute.

The price is nutty, but not utterly insane. It's $10K over a MT-07, which is (roughly) comparable bike. So, the prices still need to work their way down.

But I like it.

So is this Livewire, Harley Livewire?

Yup, Harley decided to spin-off the LiveWire into its own brand. So now they are just LiveWire and backed by Harley or a subsidy (not sure on specifics).

They are supposed to launch a whole lineup over the next few years.

 

[R3DS!X]

Nice moves by livewire! I like where they are going but...
No level 3 charging,
needs dual front rotors.

 

[ScarySpikes]

Nice moves by livewire! I like where they are going but...
No level 3 charging,
needs dual front rotors.

Yea, the lack of level 3 charging is a problem. Lightning and Energica both seem to have it, and are working towards 10-80% charge times in like 15 minutes.

I'm wondering what the practical limit on charge time will be for EV motorcycles. Right now EV cars are getting to 250kW chargers, enough to get their 70+ KW battery packs from 10-80 in about 18 minutes. If bikes could get to the same KW rate they could charge extremely fast, like 10-80% in 5 minutes or less.

Does Harley normally put dual front rotors on any of their bikes?

Honestly I'm more interested in little EV bikes like that super73 thing. I'd mostly want an EV motorcycle for an efficient commuter bike. Less than 10k price tag, enough power to go on the highway, and enough range to get to work, do some errands, and get back home is where I'd want to be.

 

[MikeL]

Yea, the lack of level 3 charging is a problem. Lightning and Energica both seem to have it, and are working towards 10-80% charge times in like 15 minutes.

Lightning with DC Fast Charging doesn't really exist. To my knowledge no bikes (even the few Strikes that have been seen/tested) have DC Fast Charging. While the website says they have it, I believe they have been stuck with level 2 thus far.

The original Livewire and Energica are the only bikes with DC Fast Charge that are available for purchase today to my knowledge.

 

[ScarySpikes]

Lightning with DC Fast Charging doesn't really exist. To my knowledge no bikes (even the few Strikes that have been seen/tested) have DC Fast Charging. While the website says they have it, I believe they have been stuck with level 2 thus far.

The original Livewire and Energica are the only bikes with DC Fast Charge that are available for purchase today to my knowledge.

That's what I get for trusting the internet.

Still want to see some of the 250 KW charging systems in motorcycles, if that's remotely possible.

 

[berth]

Lightning with DC Fast Charging doesn't really exist. To my knowledge no bikes (even the few Strikes that have been seen/tested) have DC Fast Charging. While the website says they have it, I believe they have been stuck with level 2 thus far.

Why do you think it's limited? Does level 3 simply require really thick wires that don't work well on small frame thing like a motorcycle? Does it require some bulky controller? Afraid it'll pop the battery like a grape?

 

[ScarySpikes]

Why do you think it's limited? Does level 3 simply require really thick wires that don't work well on small frame thing like a motorcycle? Does it require some bulky controller? Afraid it'll pop the battery like a grape?

I'm pretty sure it's not as simple as thick wires and a bulky controller, but it's probably vaguely like that, higher tolerances and more expensive design to make sure that the battery wont blow up or light on fire during charging.

 

[MikeL]

That's what I get for trusting the internet.

Still want to see some of the 250 KW charging systems in motorcycles, if that's remotely possible.

That would be something else. Insane charge rates. I'd be all for it if it's feasible. I'm not sure it's feasible on smaller packs.

Why do you think it's limited? Does level 3 simply require really thick wires that don't work well on small frame thing like a motorcycle? Does it require some bulky controller? Afraid it'll pop the battery like a grape?

I'm not an electrical engineer so I can't answer with any authority. But based on this old article about Zero and DCFC, it looks like a lot of it has to do with battery pack architecture and voltages. Zero's battery packs appear to be 100v nominal? And DCFC CCS1 only goes down to 200v based on charger specification requirements.

https://chargedevs.com/features/zer...13-better-interoperability-testing-is-needed/

That doesn't explain Lightning or how they might accomplish it, but I do know if you want to use DCFC CCS1, you need to meet their chargers requirements. So as long as Lightning builds to those requirements, I'm assuming they will eventually be able to do DCFC.

 

[ScarySpikes]

That would be something else. Insane charge rates. I'd be all for it if it's feasible. I'm not sure it's feasible on smaller packs.

Yea, no idea what is technically feasible. Given that, at least for now, most electric motorcycles are at between 100 and 150 miles highway range, I think that charging needs to be fast enough to make it reasonable to recharge a couple times for long day trips, otherwise they are mostly useful for commuting. I think that maybe 15 minutes to get at least 100 miles of range is bare minimum for that goal.

 

[R3DS!X]

Yea, the lack of level 3 charging is a problem. Lightning Harley/Livewire and Energica both seem to have it, and are working towards 10-80% charge times in like 15 minutes.

fixed that for ya

Does Harley normally put dual front rotors on any of their bikes?

They did for the Livewire, Xr1200, fat bob, Pan-American, vrod and im sure some others that aren't imminently coming to mind.

 

[mrzuzzo]

Lightning doesn't make motorcycles.

Energica and Livewire are the only ones that have it.

The charging times on the new Energicas are actually slower than the older ones, because there isn't as much battery cooling. Probably takes 30-40min to go to 80%. I think manufacturers are really prioritizing battery capacity over charging times, which IMO is the right move. I'd rather have a bike that can go significantly further, than one which I need to charge all the time.

Ducati has battery cooling (allegedly) on their MotoE bike but no details on that.

 

[flying_hun]

This Makes Me Happy On Multiple Levels

[YOUTUBE]pSgN8skKZJ8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[flying_hun]

For more details on the above...

 

[Demoni]

Ducati has battery cooling (allegedly) on their MotoE bike but no details on that.

The current Energica MotoE machines also have active cooling for their battery packs. Front scoop provides airflow through the pack when the bike is moving and can be connected to a fan for static cooling when charging.

Energica news link

Brocks Performance link with more photos

 

[MikeL]

Looks like the first ADV Sport Tourer on the electric market has arrived, the Energica Experia. Unless you count the Zero DSR . No price tag yet and technically not available for pre-order in the U.S. but that supposedly is coming shortly.

Some stats from their website:

• 22.5kWh New Battery
• DCFC and 3kw level 2 Charging
• New Motor
• 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph): 3.5 sec
• Continuous: 60kW/80Hp at 7000 rpm – Peak: 75kW/102Hp at 7500 rpm
• 115 Nm / 85 ft lb. – 900 Nm / 664 ft lb. at wheel

Range Numbers:

• City: 420 km (261 miles)
• Combined: 256 km (160 miles)
• Extra-Urban: 208 km (130 miles)
• WMTC: 222 km (138 miles)

https://www.energicamotor.com/us/models/energica-experia/

Have a feeling it will have a hefty price tag, but looks fairly good.

 

[Butch]

Storm Bee

Oded on the Alta forum
https://electricdirtriders.com/threads/sur-ron-storm-bee-vs-alta-redshift-my-test-drive.2517/

Rode a Storm Bee...
“the Storm Bees started selling in Israel, so I had a chance to test ride it off road and compare it to my Redshift EX.

the bike I tested is the road legit enduro model (18 & 21 inch tires). it weighs about 127 kg (similar to the Alta) but feels a bit lighter. the ergonomics are surprisingly suited for a tall guy like me (I am 1.9m), but the Alta feels a bit more roomier. I did not have a chance to fiddle with the handlebar position and such...”

Somewhere I heard that access to the site might be limited without registering...

 

[DonTom]

For those who do not yet know---A&S motorcycles in Roseville, CA is now an Energica dealer. I paid my 3K$ deposit yesterday on a new Experia.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

Have a feeling it will have a hefty price tag, but looks fairly good.

The Energica Experia pricetag was released on June 1, a few hours before I placed my order.

The BS price (before any taxes and fees) is:

$25,880.00


-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[cg_ops]

The Energica Experia pricetag was released on June 1, a few hours before I placed my order.

The BS price (before any taxes and fees) is:

$25,880.00


-Don- Auburn, CA

that's more than the combined OTD cost of my last 2, brand-new middle-weight bikes (701 & 890R).

Are ebikes still eligible for tax credits? If so, how much?

 

[R3DS!X]

That's quite the hefty price tag for the Experia, however the bike looks pretty dope. Only disappointed that they don't have 6kw ac charging. When available the dc charging is way better but ATM the ac chargers are more plentiful so it would be a nice to have the option.