Zero S electric motorbike, available now

17 May 2009

The BBC news website has a video interview with the maker of the Zero S electric motorbike.

Neal Saiki, the man behind Zero’s range of electric bikes, goes through a range of hyperbole, but the important point is that I can actually buy one today. Not particularly cheap up front at €10,000, but given the claim of 0.66p per mile, the ongoing costs are quite cheap – my Buell Ulysses gets about 50 mpg, but that seems to work out about 10p per mile – so the Zero S fuel costs are one fifteenth of what I pay for the Buell.

What’s more, you can test drive one already in the UK up in Loughborough according to their website, with London and Edinburgh to get dealers soon. With both a 60 mile range, and 70 mph top speed, it’s not going to be the ideal bike for touring or sports, but it certainly looks like a great commuting option.