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Electric Motorcycles in the US Adopt DC Fast Charging

Article-Electric Motorcycles in the US Adopt DC Fast Charging

Shutter2U/iStock / Getty Images Plus Electric motorcycle charging.jpg
Electric motorcycle charging.
Several electric motorcycle manufacturers in the US have started to offer DC fast charging as an option on their bikes to accelerate their adoption and make them a more viable form of transportation.

There has been an increasing adoption of direct-current (DC) fast charging for electric motorcycles in the US. DC fast charging allows electric motorcycles to charge much faster than traditional alternating-current (AC) charging, making it more practical to take longer trips and reducing range anxiety. Fast charging for electric motorcycles is still in its early stages in the US. However, here are a few examples of companies and charging networks in the US that are offering fast charging for electric motorcycles.

Fast-charging Lighting Motorcycle

Lightning Motorcycle Corp., an American manufacturer of electric motorcycles, and Enevate partnered to equip Lightning’s Strike Carbon motorcycle with Enevate’s EV-sized extreme fast- charge advanced lithium-ion cells. Lightning integrated a 24-kWh battery pack with Enevate technology into the Strike Carbon e-motorcycle.

400 Amps were delivered at a charge rate nearing 5C — a battery C-rating is a measure of the rate at which a battery is discharged relative to its maximum capacity —which is almost 5 times the rate of conventional EV batteries. These blazing-fast specifications result in a charge time of fewer than 10 minutes for an additional 135 miles. According to Enevate, the charging time for similar production electric motorcycles is usually one to four hours.

Image courtesy of Lightning Motorcyclelightning strike carbon charging2.jpg

Lightning's Strike Carbon motorcycle, charging.

”This has been an outstanding partnership with Enevate as together we push the boundaries in electric motorcycle innovation by achieving the fastest motorcycle charging rate reached from a public charger,” Lightning Motorcycles Corp. CEO and Founder, Richard Hatfield stated. ”For myself, and everyone at Lightning, building our products and company not only provides us with the opportunity to be part of something bigger and better but also allows us to contribute to progress in the relentless effort to save our planet.”

Fast charging SUPER73'S C1X

SUPER73 recently announced that their upcoming C1X will include fast charging capabilities. According to SUPER73, the CX1 will be able to fast charge from 10–80% in under 15 minutes, which will provide approximately an additional 75 miles. C1X is still in development and the first units will be delivered in 2024.

Courtesy of SUPER73Super73_C1X.jpg

SUPER73 C1X electric motorcycle.

Fast charging a LiveWire motorcycle

LiveWire has been using fast charging technology for a while and the newest LiveWire ONE motorcycle has adopted DC fast charging that can use any available public fast charger. LiveWire uses a standard J1772 charging connector and it claims that the 15.4 KWH rechargeable battery can be fast charged from 0  ̶  80% in 40 minutes.

Charging networks for electric motorcycles

Electric motorcycles use the same standardized charger plugs as electric cars but not all electric motorcycles are compatible with all types of charging levels (e.g. Level 2, Level 3) or charging connectors. There are several third-party charging networks, such as ChargePointElectrify America, and EVgo, that can be used for charging electric motorcycles—but in the near future we might start seeing installation of DC fast chargers specifically for electric motorcycles. Some electric motorcycle users have reportedly been successfully using Tesla superchargers, now that those are open to non-Tesla electric vehicles at select sites in the US.

 

 

 

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