436.5 km without charging: New range record for an electric motorcycle
A Zero DS covered 436.5 kilometers on a single charge. According to Zero Motorcycles, this makes them the new Guinness World Record holders for the longest distance traveled without a charge stop by an electric motorcycle.
Record holder Jelle Verstaen with his Zero DS
Image: Zero Motorcycles
Zero Motorcycles, an electric motorcycle manufacturer founded in the U.S. in 2006 and now based in the Netherlands, has far surpassed the previous range record for an electric motorcycle. While a Verge TS Pro from Verge Motorcycles achieved a record distance of just under 311 kilometers on a single charge last year, a Zero DS from Zero Motorcycles now managed 436.5 kilometers on a single battery charge.
In fact, it wasn’t just one machine from Zero Motorcycles that participated in the record attempt — three different models of the manufacturer were involved. To pursue a potential entry in the Guinness Book of Records, three riders set out with three standard electric motorcycles in the Franco-Italian Alpine region and traveled south through France, across mountain passes, through villages, and along country roads until they reached the Mediterranean coast.
In the end, all three electric motorcycles surpassed the previous record of just under 311 kilometers: Louis Renaud drove his Zero SR/S to 350 kilometers and finished with 4 percent of battery charge remaining. Jenny Brooks took her Zero DSR/X to 384 kilometers. She covered part of the distance with a videographer as a passenger in heavy rain, adding another 15 kilometers after the display already showed 0 percent battery level.
Electric motorcycle faced torrential rain just before the finish line
Jelle Verstaen continued to ride his Zero DS with Power Tank further and further. However, the final stage in Camargue turned extremely unpleasant: a severe storm swept through the region, bringing heavy rain over the last 100 kilometers. The situation became even more extreme in the final 25 minutes: “Stormy crosswinds and torrential rain turned the final stretch into a battle against nature,” said the electric motorcycle manufacturer.
Nevertheless, Jelle Verstaen kept riding on his Zero DS until the battery was finally depleted, causing the electric motorcycle to stop at 436.5 kilometers. With this distance, Verstaen surpassed the previous record by 125.8 kilometers, representing an improvement of over 40 percent.
19.2 kWh battery capacity for the record
The Zero DS is an electric dual-sport motorcycle designed for use on roads and in light off-road terrain (enduro). Its standard 15.6-kWh battery, which provides a range of 249 kilometers in urban conditions, was supplemented for the record attempt with a separately available 3.6-kWh power tank, resulting in a total capacity of 19.2 kWh.
Jelle Verstaen and his team achieved a range of 436.5 kilometers through a combination of the efficiency of the standard Zero DS and a carefully planned driving style. Maintaining a consistently moderate speed on quieter roads, minimizing traffic during the night drive, and using downhill sections in the Alps to recover energy via regenerative braking all helped reduce consumption. Tire pressure was also taken into account. Technically, the motorcycle benefits from a Z-Force battery with high energy density, a passively cooled internal permanent magnet motor, and a low-loss powertrain. No special modifications were required to set this range record.