Zero, CCS breakthrough: charging in half an hour. And it’s coming to “old” motorcycles too

Starting in 2027, Zero Street and Dual Sport models will be able to charge using DC fast charging via CCS chargers, reaching 20% to 80% battery charge in less than 30 minutes. But the real surprise is the retrofit option, which will also be available for many models already on the market since 2022.

Zero Motorcycles is making a significant leap forward in charging technology, one that will change the perception of electric motorcycles. The American manufacturer is developing a new CCS system for fast DC charging, intended for the Street and Dual Sport model lines.

This technology will be available on new motorcycles starting from the second half of 2027, promising to charge the battery from 20% to 80% in under 30 minutes. However, the perhaps most interesting development is for those who have already purchased a Zero: CCS and charging modules will also be available as accessories that can be installed on various models beginning with the 2022 model year.

20% to 80% in less than 30 minutes

Zero has not yet announced the maximum power in kW that the new system will support. However, it revealed the most interesting detail regarding real-world usage: on motorcycles with batteries up to 17.3 kWh, it will take less than 30 minutes to go from 20% to 80%. Therefore, assuming a calculator, the charging power must be over 20-21 kW.

Currently, some Street and Dual Sport models come standard with a 6.6 kW AC charger, to which the Rapid Charge System can be added, raising the total power to 12.6 kW. With this setup, Zero claims it takes less than 45 minutes to reach 80% from 20%.

With CCS, the benefits aren’t just speed. It primarily changes the infrastructure that can be connected to: compatible Zero motorcycles will be able to use the widely available DC fast charging stations directly.

CCS can also be installed on older Zero models

Zero designed the system with retrofits for already sold motorcycles in mind from the start.

“We didn’t want to offer this technology only on future Zero models, but also give thousands of existing Zero owners the opportunity to benefit from this new feature, further increasing the value of their motorcycles,” explains Pierre-Martin Bos, CEO of Zero Motorcycles.

CCS and the DC fast charging module will therefore be offered as accessories for compatible Model Year 2022 and later models.

The families involved are S and DS, including S, SR, SR/S, SR/F, DS, DSR, and DSR/X equipped with the Cypher III operating system. However, this does not automatically mean that every version produced since 2022 can be upgraded: Zero will provide a detailed list of compatible motorcycles and any required requirements for retrofitting later.

The advantage of fast charging increases

In an electric motorcycle, DC charging can have a particularly significant impact. The batteries are much smaller compared to those in cars, so hundreds of kW of power is not necessarily required to achieve relatively short charging times.

With a capacity of up to 17.3 kWh, recovering 60% of the battery means injecting just over 10 kWh of energy. Reducing this charging time to under half an hour can significantly improve the bike’s usability for long distances. We’re talking about around a hundred kilometers, so it’s still too early to dream of long electric trips, but DC charging certainly allows one to enjoy a weekend of riding through curves without worrying about range, stopping for 20-30 minutes instead of an hour and a half.

DC Charging Prices

One important detail is missing. How much will the CCS kit cost? The balance between performance—especially range—and price in electric motorcycles remains a quite critical issue. DC charging opens up new opportunities, but at what cost?

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