Did anyone see this post?
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/7246-do-you-have-replies-your-emails-zerox-company
Quote below:
"Morning,
I did not get any email from Zero back too and I started to wonder if the whole thing is just a PR Duck! You know quirky website
and some prototypes, exiting PR but not much behind! I had another look on their website and found a list of 3 dealer in the UK
and I gave them a call, the outcome was ZERO! I mean nobody picked up the phone, Friday early afternoon, normally a good time to
get somebody to speak to you, I would think! But no, nobody answered on the other end.
Then I noticed that the website is now translated in to German and French and I said yes may my German friend in Berlin, who works
in the EV Industry had may heard something about ZERO, so I called him and we had an interesting chat about this subject.
My friend heard quiet strong rumors that Zero got picked up by an German Investor, that the bikes are not in production yet because
they want to produce the bike in Europe ( Poland ) and are waiting that the plant becomes ready for production. I have ask what take them so long? What is the point of all this PR than and the the Website and so on! If the polish plant is still not ready and they have to wait this long that some Polish mans are getting ready !!?? Why not simply go to another plant, I would think they are more
of plenty about!? I simply took the mickey out of him! But he told me it is a special plant because the VX1 from Vectrix gets build there!! and I said so what?? He advised me that I have to have a look on this forum for further information regarding the vectrix subject and how this is connected to ZERO ( he told me that I have to read specially the commends from a Guy with the User name Marcopolo) and also that in the UK is a company what calls ZEV Ltd, my friend told me that Alex Bamberg who runs ZEV could help me to purchase a Zero in the near future!
I said fine and gave it a go, first I have googled ZEV Ltd and I have found them under www.zevltd.com. At this point I was quiet
happy with the outcome of my research, but than i started to read all this threads in the Vectrix forum, specially the commends of this Marcopolo Guy, he even mentions Alex Bamberg twice as EX MD of Vectrix UK, that he got dismissed by the VectrixCorp......
I can not help myself, please don't understand me wrong, but here is going something very strange on!!!
They are so many Members of this forum PRO Vectrix and only one Member (Marcopolo) CONTRA??
Forgive me people for my debut on this forum, but i think that Marcopolo, Alex Bamberg ( and also his Partner who is mentioned on the ZEV website, "Chris" ) and the information what I received from my friend ( that the Vectrix plant in Poland is getting ready
to produce ZERO motorcycles) and the German Investor seems well connected!
I will lease with my friend again and will try to get some more info out of him!
best regards Klaus Schiller"
I have no knowledge of the activities of ZEV, Zero, etc.., nor do I have any connection with Alex Bamberg. I would imagine that there would be several dozen serious (as well as hopeful), manufacturers looking at utilising the Vectrix plant in Poland. Vectrix Poland is currently closed, and under bankruptcy protection while awaiting the outcome of it's US parent. My opinion of Alex bamberg is based solely on his performance while in control of Vectrix UK, and although mistakes were made during that period, he appeared to be the most competent and responsible of the Vectrix executives. The policies pursued after his departure were catastrophic to Vectrix.
Viewing the ZERO website, it looks impressive as an of road vehicle, and I would like to see the street version. However, it seems to me, that a chain driven street bike, that can only reach 80kph, takes 4 hours to charge (no mention of an on board charger), a range of maybe 70 klm, and costing 20% more than a Vectrix VX1, will have a very small market. I was impressed by the low weight, but I don't know if any bikes of the street variety have ever been delivered. The website is pretty vague.
marcopolo
zevltd.com appears to simply be a dealer. At the least the Zero S and X motorcycles it describes are obviously a dealer arrangement, as the company which makes those is http://zeromotorcycles.com ... I've ridden the Zero X and it's a very well done powerful motorcycle. Look in the EV Racing section of this forum for reports I posted in April concerning a 24 hr endurance race with Zero X motorcycles.
I have seen the Zero S in the flesh but not seen it move. It is as well built as the X though with a few design changes and the accoutrements required to be street legal. It should also be very sturdy and well built and powerful.
Zero Motorcycles has been touring the S around America and Europe and every review I've read was highly positive.
In any case it is clearly not a product designed or manufactured by ZEVLTD. I don't recognize their other vehicles (the ATV etc) but it's possible, given there are several electric ATV makers, that again they're simply a dealer rather than the manufacturer of the ATV on their site.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
About a year ago I was told by Zero reps that their first street bike (the Zero S) would be ready in December 2008. In December I was told it would be in spring of 2009. In March 2009 I laid down a deposit for a Zero S and was told that manufacturing would begin in May and that my number would probably come up in June. In June, customers with deposits were told to wait until July (along with apologetic boxes mailed with Zero t-shirts and decals). Next, Zero was going to start delivering bikes in August. The latest word now that I have read in the Electric Motorcycle Forum is December 2009. I got to test ride a Zero S in July, but it was a prototype and I'm not sure how much my experience would apply to the product coming out in December. By now I would have been climbing the walls after finding out about the December delivery, but I decided to go with another vendor at the end of July and got my deposit back...
Does the Zero S have an on board charger?
marcopolo
One of the Vectrix dealers in Barcelona, http://www.genteconenchufe.com/, is selling other electric motorbikes, the quantya also. http://www.quantya.com/
Some weeks ago, he was offered a Zero motorbike for testing purposes. Acording to his experience, compared to the quantya the acceleration is poor, the brakes, suspension and other companents don't have the same quality of quantya ones, as a result it is more difficult to navigate trought hi-jumps. If the Zero's price is reduced by half, it might have some possibilities in Europe, but for the current price its a total looser.