Update February 2 2021 I recently ran across an article Motorbikerider published in April of 2019 talking about the exact problem I’ve highlighted with EV bike makers; non standardized charging plugs. I wanted to link to their piece here to help support the concept of a standard charging infrastructure for two wheel EVs.
Original Post September 2020
I want you to imagine this for a moment. In your household regardless of the country in which you reside, EVERY SINGLE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE YOU USE REQUIRES A DIFFERENT PLUG! Your toaster requires one kind of plug, your TV another, your hair dryer yet another, your computer something different, your monitor something other than what you have… See my point? Not yet…!?
OK let’s take your ICE car, motorcycle, SUV or truck. You pull into the gas station and the nozzle used to fill up your vehicle doesn’t fit your car. Why? Because the car maker of your vehicle decided that THEIR fill tube is better than any others so theirs is different.
I own two different EV two wheelers, a Sur Ron Light Bee and a Cake Kalk& to which this site is dedicated. Both bikes use different charges and those chargers have different plugs. I recently read an article by electrek where Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki are COLLABORATING on a shared swappable battery platform:
“Specifically, the companies are working together to develop a shared swappable battery platform for electric motorcycles. The foursome announced the establishment of a consortium to develop swappable batteries for electric motorcycles last year. But we haven’t heard a peep out of any of them regarding updates, at least until now.
In the first bit of news to come out of the consortium, it turns out that the companies are ready to begin testing their shared, swappable electric motorcycle battery design with real users.”
Sharp shoot and find fault all you want, my point here is the big four motorcycle manufactures are using their heads! Swappable batteries may not have application for full sized EV motorcycles or hell even the Cakes or Sur Rons. But since two wheel EVs, especially LEO bikes are just emerging, doesn’t it make sense for makers to use their effing heads and collaborate on a standard charging port? Then they can all go back to their secret labs and meetings to develop bikes better than others, brag about their branding and awards.
Makes loads of sense to me…the consumer, you know they guy who BUYS YOUR PRODUCTS. Rant over…for now.
2 Comments
I couldn’t agree more about the need to standardize. I wish there were something like micro-USB, however motorcycle batteries can have voltage ranging from 32V to 300V. Bigger batteries can, and need to accept higher charge rates. Apparently the european electric car industry has come up with a digital handshake that allows the battery to communicate with the charger how much voltage and amperage it can handle. The closest thing we see to having a standardized battery and/charger is what Shimano is doing for eBikes. They’ve allowed the ebike manufacturers to develop bikes around their standardized motors and batteries. I selfishly have a fantasy that the Sur Ron battery form factor becomes a standard for interchangeable batteries.
Yeah Eli I get that the SR charging plug is well designed and made, but then again so is the Cake’s. I know you demo rode a Cake but were you able to take a look at the charger and its plug? Both are solid and well built with a solid and satisfying click when connected. I would not have an issue if either of them was adopted as the ‘standard.’ I have two Haibikes with Yamaha motors and their charging plugs are much smaller and completely different than either the Cake or Sur Ron. I get why it’s ‘smaller’, but come on companies, at least standardize plugs for pedal assist versus throttle bikes. Like I said all that would need to happen is to make different plugs for every friggin home appliance in the homes of 2 wheel EV execs and they’d get the hint. LOL
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