Zero Broke the Electric Motorcycle Range Record by Nearly 80 Miles
Here’s one way to deal with range anxiety.
Zero Motorcycles just announced that its DS model recently set a Guinness World Record after running 436.5 km, or 271.2 miles, on a single battery charge. That figure, which is well over the bike’s advertised range, didn’t just beat the previous mark—it demolished it.
Unsurprisingly, Zero’s record attempt was a meticulously planned affair. Three riders using three production-spec DS bikes rode over mountain passes, through villages, and on country roads from Les Claux, Vars, in the French Alps to the Mediterranean coast with the goal of beating the previous record of 310.7 km, or 193 miles, on a single charge. All three of the electric two-wheelers were able to beat the previous mark, but it was the DSR/X equipped with the company’s Power Tank add-on that set the record.
Jelle Verstaen on the record-setting Zero Motorcycles DSR/X
In traveling 271.2 miles on a single charge, this bike, which was ridden by Belgian motorcycle enthusiast Jelle Verstaen, beat the prior record by 78.2 miles, or more than 40 percent. The record-setting ride was tracked via G.P.S. and was verified independently by Guinness World Records.
Of course, if you’ve read about any past automotive records, chances are you know there is usually a caveat or two attached to a high mark, and Zero’s accomplishment is no different. The company used production DS bikes, a commercially available add-on, and public roads to set its record, but, as Autoweek points out, it also chose a route specifically meant to maximize range. The journey saw the bikes travel from an elevation of roughly 6,000 feet to sea level, took place a night when there was less traffic, and allowed them the riders to maintain an average speed of around 32 mph. You can’t plan for everything, though. The “torrential” rain Verstaen encountered during the final leg of his ride wouldn’t have helped his range any.
Zero’s record-setting riding trio (from left to right): Louis Renaud, Jenny Brookes, and Jelle Verstaen
Interested in buying Zero’s record-setting electric motorcycle for yourself? The company is currently taking orders for the DS, which stands for Dual Sport, on its website. The two-wheeler starts at 16,400 pounds, or roughly $21,700. The Power Tank, which boosts battery capacity from 15.6 kWh to 19.2 kWh, adds around $3,000 to the total cost.
