Zero Motorcycles has announced that two of its bikes have passed both the US and Canadian safety standards and attained a ‘Certificate of Conformity’ from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the proposed EPA regulations issued on Sept 15, 2009, the Zero S and DS achieve an equivalent of 455 MPG and generate zero grams of CO2 per mile. As impressive as the MPG rating may sound, we can’t see how it applies to electric vehicles. Looking at the spec. sheet for both models shows a claimed range of 80 km on a 4 hour battery charge—to us, the true barometer here.
Zero Motorcycles first model, the Drift, entered the market in 2006. In 2008 Zero launched the X, later leading to manufacture of their street legal supermoto S model in 2009. This past summer Zero announced their new MX off road machine, as well as their dual sport Zero DS. Both motorcycles claim to have zero emissions, be completely non-toxic and almost 100% recyclable.
“We are extremely pleased to be the first electric motorcycle company to have completed these rigorous testing programs,” said Gene Banman, CEO of Zero Motorcycles. “Passing these tests allows our [US] customers to save money while also giving them confidence in the design and safety of our motorcycles.”
The fully homologated and government certified Zero S and DS are available for purchase exclusively through Zero Motorcycles’ website. Priced at $9,950 USD, American customers get a post tax credit price of $8,955. A look at the the Zero website indicates that they also sell internationally and that to purchase and ship one of their bikes to our offices in Toronto would cost approximately $12,700 CAD before tax.
Promotional video of the Zero DS below.
