...to be bought with the new plug in subsidy took to the roads on the 1st March.
Fred Murphy, 48, a self confessed petrolhead from Redhill in Surrey, collected his Zero FXS from 21st Moto in Kent and became the first biker to benefit from the plug in subsidy.
The subsidy will provide a grant of 20% up to a maximum of £1500, as long as the bike meets certain criteria.
All Zero motorbikes are eligible for the grant. The Zero FXS has an average range of 60 miles, a top speed of 85mph and cost the equivalent of 1p per mile to power. It can be charged using a standard three pin plug, taking 9 hours if you charge it at home and 2 hours if plugged in at a charging station.
Would you buy an electric bike?
NO, well not yet. The same for electric cars, there are not enough charging points and no standard charger. The world is moving that way, so never say never and Tesla have shown that electric cars can be desirable and have good range, so never say never.
Not for me as yet. Once they sort out the range & charging time I'll be tempted. I expect it'll be another 10 years before they crack that though. At the moment they only make sense for city commuting or off roading where range is less of an issue. Cost is still a huge stumbling block, but that will change.
I wonder how much The Man subsidises electric cars? 1500 seems a tiny amount, an electric vehicle is one less oil powered vehicle used.... that's the point, no?
I looked long and hard at the Zero DsR before buying my Versys - Range is much better than you might think - standard configuration you are looking at just under 150miles urban and around 110 combined. If you fit all the bells and whistles max range is about 180 urban and 140 combined with a top speed of a ton, theres a lot more to these bikes than you might think and if the tech keeps improving I think we will see a lot more of them. There was another manufacturer in the process of trying to fund a more sportsbike style one - they were promising 400 mile range and serious speeds but they didn't raise the cash and have gone quiet - google vigo motorcycle if you are interested. There are some long term reviews of the Zero DSR on tube which make good watching.
Think i'm going to start a company to sell pre-recorded exhaust soundtracks to broadcast from electric vehicles so i can still annoy the neighbours,and be eco-friendly...NOTHING will ever replace the sounds that a briskly ridden motorcycle can generate.....just my humble opinion
It'll be interesting if electric vehicles do actually become the 'normal' mode of transport in years to come (long way to go yet though), if then the government makes it so you have to have a special license to use any old 'petrol/diesel' vehicle on the road, and I wouldn't put it past the government to make having the license an expensive option if your a classic vehicle fan!
Great idea for daily commuters having a quiet, low maintenance electric bike, if the initial outlay isn't of concern to them. And the performance is getting close to presenting a fun track machine. Will always be those who don't want change just as there are still steam enthusiasts, I'm all for variety and right tool for the job, why not have both. As for the government's narrow minded approach trying to change the habits of a recreational rider for environmental reasons.. The savings of switching bike from petrol likely will never even offset the manufacture of the batteries.
When they start building a proper larger bike that can do a minimum of 300 miles a day day in, day out, day after day, and carry two and luggage at 80 mph for that 300 miles I will start being interested in electric bikes.
Until then all it seams to be on offer is an alternative to 125 computer of short range motorcross bikes.
Personally I think it IS the future, and I'm happy about it. But, the technology is seriously a long way off (even though it's developing fast).
I will miss the sound of a real motor though.
The fact is though that the world is burning up, getting hotter and hotter. Storms are getting more violent, winters colder - extreme weather is everywhere.
Just look at the Great Barrier Reef - it's all but totally dead, and will take centuries to recover, if ever at all. I love scuba diving just as much as biking but I hate having to burn all the oil for biking.
Here in Holland where I live now there are charging points everywhere for electric vehicles. I know the UK is still lagging behind as usual, but other countries are not. If the UK government would invest more in renewables, solar subsidies, installing charging points (or subsidising the costs for electric companies) then the UK would be well on the way to success. There would also be many jobs created in the process, offsetting the complete idiocy of Brexshit.
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