Zero MX electric breaks in half
During e-Moto motocross event in SwitzerlandA Zero MX electric motorcycle has quite literally split in half during an e-moto race in Switzerland.
This incident has shone the spotlight on Zero's manufacturing techniques, and particularly its frame production process.
Zero Motorcycles, based in California, has been sent the broken MX electric motorcycle from Europe, and the company says it will scrutinise the MX to find out what caused the frame to catastrophically fail.
The frame of the Zero MX is made from aluminium, which is a necessity rather than a luxury on electric motorcycles due to their relatively low energy reserves. The lighter the bike, the less energy needed to drive it around, and with battery technology progressing slowly keeping weight down is the key to performance.
The original Zero X electric motorcycle was a combination of mountain bike and motorcycle, which the Bikesales Network tested back in mid 2009. The Zero MX was created in response to demand for a more robust dirtbike (and possibly criticism of the original model's weakness).
While speculation about how the frame breakage happened is the topic of much discussion on forums and enthusiast sites, the real challenge will be how Zero Motorcycles responds to the matter.
This incident could very well be a 'make or break' issue in terms of how Zero deals with what could become a public relations nightmare.
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