Zero Motorcycles is making history. A Zero DS straight off the production line, fitted only with the optional Power Tank battery, covered 436.5 km on a single charge and officially entered the Guinness World Records for the longest distance travelled by an electric motorcycle without recharging.
The previous record stood at 310.69 km, so the new mark beats it by more than 40%.
Three motorcycles, one route
Belgian journalist Jelle Verstaen was riding the DS. He was joined by Frenchman Louis Renaud on a Zero SR/S and Jerry Brooks on a Zero DSR/X. The route started in the Alps, on the French–Italian border, and finished on the Mediterranean coast.
The most impressive part? All three motorcycles beat the previous record:
- Zero SR/S: 350 km, with 4% battery left at the end
- Zero DSR/X: 384 km, plus another 15 km after the battery gauge hit 0%
- Zero DS: 436.5 km, with the last 100 km ridden through heavy rain and strong winds
How the record was set
No special modifications. Just the right strategy and the features every Zero already has:
- Riding mostly at night, with less traffic and fewer stops.
- Country roads instead of motorways.
- A steady average speed of around 52 km/h, to keep aerodynamic drag low.
- Making the most of regenerative braking instead of the conventional brakes.
- Using the ride modes and cruise control and, wherever possible, coasting on the bike’s momentum alone.
Along the way, the team stopped in Arles, France, for photos in front of the city’s Roman amphitheatre.
Production bikes, real roads
Zero’s management stressed that a record only matters when every rider can relate to it. That is why all three motorcycles were standard production models, ridden on open public roads, and one of them even belonged to a Zero customer. As Zero noted, after 20 years of development the record shows what an efficient production motorcycle can achieve when combined with smart riding.
Try it for yourself
See the Zero DS and the Zero DSR/X up close at Electromove, the exclusive Zero Motorcycles distributor in Greece, and book your own test ride.