SS1000 on an Electric Bike?

GarminDave.....So, how did it go? Did you get the bike? Was it fun, cool what. We need a ride report.
 
An update: I'm pretty sure that, at the moment, it's simply not possible to do an SS1000 on a standard electric bike - at least, not without swapping battery packs. Zero and Motorrad have set a world record for distance travelled, and they could only get to 1,317 km - about 300 km/180 miles short. That was done on an oval at a test track, so they were able to maintain a constant speed between charges. Zero had brought along extra charging equipment able to deliver 110 amps, and they used ice to keep the battery pack cool, so they could give the 14.4 kWH pack a full charge in an hour. Pretty much ideal conditions.

Unless there is some breakthrough in either battery or charging technology, it's difficult to see how the situation will change, either. Improvements in battery capacity will allow the distance between charges to be extended - but will then need more time to recharge. OTOH, if you're about to order a Zero, they are offering £1,317 of accessories free, to mark the achievement.

You can read the Motorrad article here.

Regards,
Martin
 
I never heard from Zero regarding the loaner and did not follow it up as the above research shows I was on the wrong drugs the day I thought it may be possible.

Oh well if I get a ride I'll report back.
 
The rules for repetitive circuits are fairly simple. You simply need several IBR vets to be approved witnesses. Then get the route pre-approved. Typically you need the witnesses to be at the natural 'corners' and/or farthest point of the loop or route as well as the start. The route will dictate how many natural witness points are needed to really document each 'lap'. It's a similar process to city saddlesore rides.

I very much doubt Zero would be interested in assisting. They have publicly stated recently and in the past that they do not believe range is an issue in regards to increasing their sales. (It's an arrogant and ignorant belief on their part)

What I want to build some day is a hybrid diesel-electric bike. Then range is a non-issue.
 
EricV said:
I very much doubt Zero would be interested in assisting. They have publicly stated recently and in the past that they do not believe range is an issue in regards to increasing their sales. (It's an arrogant and ignorant belief on their part)

What I want to build some day is a hybrid diesel-electric bike. Then range is a non-issue.
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My post #18 in this thread has pointed out the accomplishment has happened a few years ago:

[Rider Terry] Hershner would begin and end his ride at the Chargepoint Headquarters in San Jose, California. Chargepoint proved to be a fitting location, as the company heads the largest infrastructure of EV charging stations in the country. In addition, Chargepoint charging stations record data received from the vehicle during each stop. This would be important in the documentation of Hershner’s ride, as this is one of the items the Iron Butt committee would use to verify his mileage.
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Granted, this was an extremely tricked-out setup, and I'd agree with Megabuck's statement that it's not yet possible on a standard electric motorcycle.

Yet.
 
@kwthom - Not sure what your point is. I did not say it hadn't been done, only that Zero isn't interested in helping. No idea how much they assisted Terry H. Note that his bike weighs three times what a stock bike does, had 4 chargers totaling 24kW when using 4 external Level 2 plugs and was running aerodynamic fairing with taller gearing. The stock integrated charger is 1kW!

His route was defined by stops to access multiple Chargepoint chargers at the same time. He did it this way, in part because 'hot swapping' fully charged batteries is a risky process. A short can cause complete discharge of the charged battery in a literal flash. Potentially fatal if someone is grounded to that. Doing that every 63 miles for a Stock Zero S would be foolish.

I think it would be far more interesting when someone can do an electric powered SS1K in more normal conditions and solo supported, w/o route so limited route choices. The IBA is all about individual achievements, not team supported efforts. I am not saying Terry H. didn't ride his own ride, but the level of specialized effort and limited route possibilities were impressive restrictions for him to overcome.
 
Zero may or may not have helped, but Chargepoint sure seemed to do quite a bit. My whole effort was to let the U.K. team know that a SS1000 on an electric bike has been done - granted, with the tricked-out machine and support described.

Post 22 in the thread has shown a supported ride on a closed course has yet to achieve 1000 miles in 24 hours. Close, but not there yet.

Doing it on bone-stock equipment on public roads will be exactly as you describe in your last paragraph - an individual achievement, and in some future time, it will happen.
 
The only practical way to do this is pre-positioned ready charged batteries which you can change for the discharged batteries
until battery technology can give a better range for bikes they will have to be smaller and lighter due to the weight penalty.
Or maybe a trike or a sidecar?
 
g.s.john said:
The only practical way to do this is pre-positioned ready charged batteries which you can change for the discharged batteries
until battery technology can give a better range for bikes they will have to be smaller and lighter due to the weight penalty.
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Read the article!
 
80% fast charge that will take 20 mins that will give 80 mile approx it will be interesting to see if they can do an SS 1000??
 
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So, that 80% charge, followed by an hour and a few minutes of riding to get that next 80-odd miles.

I want to think they'll lose time based on the locations of the charging stations, and the periodic need to charge above the 80% mark for range.

I truly wish them well on the ride, however!
 
kwthom said:
So, that 80% charge, followed by an hour and a few minutes of riding to get that next 80-odd miles.

I want to think they'll lose time based on the locations of the charging stations, and the periodic need to charge above the 80% mark for range.

I truly wish them well on the ride, however!
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I think they are doing a circular route in California to known charging sites.
 
GarminDave said:
I think they are doing a circular route in California to known charging sites.
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From the article:

"For this 821 miles test, I started my ride in Carmel Ca. then worked my way up to San Francisco, over to Lake Tahoe, Reno Nevada, back into Sacremento around the other side of Lake Tahoe, and down the California Hwy 99 to LA."

If the that route that was surveyed is the one being used, they're right close to 1000 miles when they hit the US/Mexico border in San Diego, about 80 miles south of Los Angeles.

Since they didn't mention the actual route, tough to truly ascertain charging locations, etc.

I'm quite sure those guys and gals have done their homework.
 
Doing the maths, that should indeed make it feasible. Let's assume you can manage 60 mph average speed on each 80-mile stint; that's 1 hour 20. Add on 20 minutes to recharge, so it's 1 hour 40 total. Repeat 3 times: five hours to go 240 miles. Repeat 12 times: 20 hours to go 980 miles. Easy peasy.

Of course, being able to average 60 mph over that time is likely to be almost impossible, at least in the UK; it also assumes there is no 'dead' time whatsoever - straight from 60 mph to 20 minutes charge, and back up to speed. Drop the average speed to 50 mph, and each 80-mile loop takes just under two hours - so you might need to stop for a 10-minute 'zap and dash' during the final loop to hit 1,000 miles.

Regards,
Martin
 
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