Electric motorcyclists from across the country will be gathering at the Tail of the Dragon in Deals Gap, NC for a week of enjoying breathtaking roads, adventure, fellowship and fun April 20-27, 2024.

Electrics at the Dragon is held each spring as EV motorcyclists make their way up the twisties to the Deals Gap/Robbinsville, North Carolina area, which is nestled deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. 

Electrics at the Dragon 2024 event page

This year’s event is scheduled to run a full week, beginning at noon on Saturday, April 20 and concluding the following Saturday.  

It officially started back in 2020 when 13 riders on 10 electric motorcycles made their way to Deals Gap after a 2019 informal gathering proved there was interest. 

Electrics at the Dragon has grown to the point that it helped create a seasonal business. Organizer Austin Ammarell and his partner launched eMoto Powersports in 2023. They saw so much interest from electric motorcyclists in riding the Dragon that they decided the time was right to invest in renting EVs. Their shop currently has 4 EVs for rent; a Zero SR/F, DSR/X, SR/S and an Energica Eva Ribelle. 

That means this year you don’t even need to own an electric motorcycle to attend. If you’ve got a gas bike you can still come and then rent an EV to see what it’s all about. 

For those of you that will be riding in for the first time, you might be pleasantly surprised to find out that the area’s charging infrastructure is probably a bit better than you might have guessed. 

Some of the riders will be staying on a property with three houses with enough power outlets to keep the EVs charged each night. 

The historic Tapoco Lodge has 3 Tesla destination chargers and a j-1772 plug for EV motorcycling guests to use.  All modern EV motorcycles can use Tesla destination chargers with an adapter (see 2nd half of this story/video for details).

At the heart of the Dragon there are three Level 2 chargers: a j-1772 plug, a NEMA 14-50 outlet and a Tesla destination charger.  

eMoto Powersports also welcomes riders to use its onsite NEMA 14-50 i and j-1772 plug. The j-plug is 48 amps so Zero Motorcycles riders with Rapid Chargers will be filling up fast.

Some area AirBnBs also have outlets that are fine for recharging EV motorcycles overnight.

As you tour the area, you’ll find a solar-powered Level 2 charger at Fontana Dam and of course there are chargers over in Knoxville. 

Another good riding destination is Franklin, which has a variety of Level 2 and Level 3 chargers. 

You might also be pleasantly surprised to learn just how much range you’ll get on an EV motorcycle in the mountains.  

Thanks to the generally slower speeds on curvy roads and regenerated energy  EV Riders get, you’ll probably see a good 20% or more range than you’re used to seeing back home on when blasting around the interstates. 

EV Rider is planning to be at this year’s Electrics at the Dragon. I hope you’ll join us for the fun and if you’ve enjoyed the video at the top of this post please give it a like and subscribe to the EV Rider YouTube channel.

The post Make Plans Now: Electrics At The Dragon 2024 appeared first on EV Rider.

Diego Cardenas is among the very first LiveWire S2 Del Mar owners in the world.

He scored number 007 of the 100 Launch Editions being built at Harley-Davidson‘s factory in York, PA. Diego took delivery of his S2 Del Mar earlier this month and has been quickly racking up the miles with city, interstate and canyon riding.

Diego, who lives in Lake Elsinore, CA, also owns the number 007 Harley-Davidson LiveWire, which is sold now as the LiveWire One.

This week he share’s his early experiences with EV Rider in the video at the top of this post. We did a pretty quick turnaround to get this video out the door ASAP so this week there is no accompanying text story.

To learn more about the S2 Del Mar visit the EV Rider LiveWire webpage or LiveWire’s S2 Del Mar webpage.

Photos of Diego’s S2 Del Mar

The post 1st Ride: LiveWire S2 Del Mar Launch Edition appeared first on EV Rider.

Energica Motor Company Inc. CEO Stefano Benatti was at Bike Week in Daytona Beach, FL to cheer on an Energica EVA Ribelle RS racing team in the 2023 Mission Foods Super Hooligan National Championship by MotoAmerica at the Daytona International Speedway.

In the video at the top of this post Benatti discusses a variety of topics during a break in the action ranging from the history of Energica to how the Italian EV motorcycle company jumped ahead of its competition in terms of charging and range.

He talked about Energica’s expanding U.S. dealer network and how U.S. customers that live far away from an authorized dealers can obtain service for their Energicas.

Stefano also discussed how Energica is doing its best to stay ahead of its competition in the EV motorcycling space.

Comments or questions about this video can be posted here.

Related: More Energica coverage

Benatti heads Energica’s U.S. operations while Livia Cevolini is Energica’s worldwide CEO. You can read both their bios here.

If you enjoy this episode of EV Rider please give it a like and subscribe to the EV Rider YouTube channel.

The post Energica CEO Talks Experia & Racing EVA Ribelle RS In Daytona appeared first on EV Rider.

Gabriel Iglesias, the comedian also known as Fluffy, graciously stopped by as a guest on EV Rider to review VW’s ID Buzz as we kick off our multi-episode coverage of the 2023 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. 

The California-based comedian is a huge fan of Volkswagen’s original air-cooled bus. Top Speed reports he owns more than 80 of them so it only makes sense he would come to Florida to see Volkswagen’s historic display of buses with the upcoming 2024 ID Buzz as the centerpiece.

“I took it out on the highway,” Gabriel told EV Rider. “It rides great. It is definitely not the old-school traditional Volkswagen Bus that will leave you on the side of the 405 Freeway. This thing actually gets you there. And get’s you there pretty fast.”

Although VW’s air cooled were commonly referred to as the “Bus,” they were officially known as the Type 2 Transporter or Microbus. It’s also been called the Kombi.

You’ll find Gabriel’s full review of the ID Buzz in the video at the top of this post. His thoughts on VW’s EV reinvention of the classic Bus are sure to leave you smiling. 

Volkswagen’s first all-electric production van is expected to go on sale later this year in the U.S.  

It’s already on sale in Europe. Pricing had not been announced for the U.S. edition at the time of this post’s publication, but it’s expected to arrive with an estimated range of 300 miles and a 111 kWh battery pack along with bright and airy color combinations that will remind EV Riders of the famous air-cooled Type 2 Transporters.  

Other historic buses on display at The Amelia included a customized Type 2 Transporter that was dubbed the Half-Track Fox. Two axles were added to help get skiers and waitstaff up into German mountain resorts. 

You’ll find a look at several of the classic buses, including the Half-Track Fox, in the video. 

If you enjoy the video in this post, please give it a like and subscribe to my YouTube channel so I can bring you more adventures in EV motoring. 

The post Comedian Gabriel Fluffy Iglesias Reviews VW ID Buzz For EV Rider appeared first on EV Rider.

This week on EV Rider we’re time traveling far into the future, the way it used to be, to find out what happened to Elon Musk’s personal first-generation cherry-red Tesla Roadster that was launched into the cosmos aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2018. 

Tesla’s first-generation Roadster arguably started the EV revolution before riding off into the sunset in 2012 to make way for the higher volume Model S. 

Post your questions or comments here

This is where our story shifts from EVs and science-fact to the delightful world of animated science-fiction with a retro feel that will have you right at home if you enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons like Jonny Quest or Star Trek: The Animated Series. 

Normally I’d hop on my EV to head to an interview, but since we’re entering the world of science fiction, this week I’m going to beam directly from Jacksonville, Florida to Houston, Texas. 

Houston is home to the recently launched Retro TV YouTube channel, which streams the new Matt Mercury cartoon series – and yes – this a crossover edition of EV Rider so you’ll find me appearing in the latest episode in of Matt Mercury in cartoon form. 

Matt Mercury is the brainchild of friends Bill Hughes and Matt Lavine.  

They both have a background in media. Matt was a long-time on-air meteorologist and entertainment reporter at KRIV-Fox 26 in Houston while Bill has made his career in art and as a creative director, working on such projects as Star Wars: Droids. 

So what happens to the Roadster far into the future? Watch the cartoon episode in this post to find out, but first watch the EV Rider episode at the top of this post to meet the creators of Matt Mercury and see how they produce the cartoon series. 

Back to science fact, did you know you can actually track the real Roadster’s journey in space? To check the Roadster’s current location visit the whereisroadster.com webpage. 

Now it’s time for me to beam back home to Jacksonville so I can get back to the real world of EVs. As always, if you’ve enjoyed this episode of EV Rider, be sure to give it a like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

The post Here’s What Will Happen To Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster In Space appeared first on EV Rider.

Back in 2013, before fast *Level 2 or Level 3 charging was available on EV motorcycles, Terry Hershner set out from the Santa Monica Pier in California on a cross country journey on his 2012 Zero ZF9 EV motorcycle that would take him to the Jacksonville Beach Pier in Florida.

Post your comments about the video here.

Since then a variety of electric motorcyclists have either started or finished their cross country journeys from Jacksonville Beach‘s pier.

The pier recently reopened after undergoing a $11.6 million rehabilitation, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record, after being battered by hurricanes Matthew and Irma. The new portion of the pier is eight feet higher and ten feet longer.

It’s part of a building boom in the Northeast Florida beach community that includes a new hotel going up next to the pier.

In this week’s episode of EV Rider we’re taking a look back at Hershner’s first successful cross-country ride, which set a record at the time. We’re also looking at a few of the riders that have since broken Terry’s record.

* The 2012 Brammo Empulse R featured Level 2 J-1772 charging, although its charging speed was far below what’s available from EV motorcycle manufacturers today.

The post EV Motorcycle Pioneer Sparks Cross-Country Trend From Jacksonville Beach Pier appeared first on EV Rider.

Think you can’t tow a camper with a small EV like the Chevy Bolt? Think again.

Gail and Devin Thorpe are proving It’s not only possible, they’re doing it and have launched a YouTube channel to document their adventures.

The couple, who recently moved to Jacksonville from Salt Lake City, originally envisioned towing with an electric pickup. They placed reservations for a Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado EV, figuring they’d buy the one that gets built first.

Post your comments or questions about the Thorpes’ Bolt and Aliner here.

At this point, it’s looking like the Rivian will end up being the one they get but it’s not expected to be delivered until December 2023.

Rather than put their camping dreams on hold, they decided to see if it was possible to tow their Aliner A-Frame with their front-wheel-drive Bolt. After a lot of research, they decided the answer was yes – despite the Bolt not being rated to tow by Chevrolet.

Editor’s Note: Chevrolet says the Bolt is not designed to tow and advises against it. Although EV Rider is sharing the Thorpes’ story, the video and this post do not represent an endorsement of towing with vehicles that are not tow-rated or specifically designed for towing.

Not only are they towing with the Bolt, their Aliner has 500-watts of self-installed solar power and a 2.5 kWh battery, allowing them to power a refrigerator and air conditioner off the grid for hours at a time.

For all the details, watch this week’s episode of EV Rider at the top of this post. And, check out Gail and Devin’s Our Solar Electric Trailer Journey YouTube channel for an episode on the EV Rider Zero SR/F electric motorcycle.

If you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of EV Rider please give it a like and subscribe to my YouTube channel so I can bring you more adventures in EV motoring.

The post YouTube Couple Tows Aliner Camper With Chevy Bolt appeared first on EV Rider.

Sergio Rodriguez is a car guy’s car guy. He’s owned a lot of V-8s over the years, so he knows a thing or two about performance.

But now, in search of even better 0-60 times and smoother overall driving, the military contractor, currently based in St. Marys, GA, has made the switch to electric vehicles.

Post your comments or questions about Sergio’s Mach-E GT Performance here.

He’s previously owned two Tesla Model Xs. But Sergio has moved on from Tesla, purchasing both a Grabber Blue Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition Premium AWD Extended Range and a Cyber Orange GT Performance, which comes standard with Ford’s 88kWh usable capacity extended range battery and AWD.

Related: Ford Ups Mach-E’s European Tow Rating To 2,204 Pounds

Sergio let me take out his GT-P for a spin and conversation with him, including a few 0-60 mph runs. His insights are unique as someone who has owned a number of high performing gasoline Mustangs over the years along with high end models from Ford’s biggest EV competitor.

Sergio talks about all of it – the strength and weaknesses of the Mach-E – comparing it to both to traditional ICE Mustangs and Teslas. Whether you want to known how Ford’s Blue Cruise stacks up to Tesla’s Auto Pilot, or how a Mustang Cobra Terminator compares to the GT-P, you’ll learn it in this video.

He’s also had track and cross-country time behind the wheels of his Mach-Es, going from San Diego to St. Marys in his Mach-E Premium and shows his Mach-Es at different events, such as the recent JEA Drive Electric Car Show in Jacksonville, FL.

The Ford fan also has a reservation in for a Ford F-150 Lightning, which he expects to take delivery of soon. He was among the Ford owners invited to Dearborn, MI to watch the official launch of the Lightning.

Sergio has been featured on a number of media outlets, including The Detroit Free Press, where you can read about his cross country trip or watch this Free Press video:

I hope you’ll enjoy my Mach-E ride along with Sergio, and if you do, please give the video a like on YouTube and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

The post Tesla Owner Dumps Model X For Ford Mustang Mach-E appeared first on EV Rider.

2022 might go down in history as the year that electric vehicles went mainstream. That’s because this year electric pickups are finally on sale – just as a flood of EV SUVs have hit the market.

Post questions or comments on the EV Towing You Tube page.

Most telling of all is America’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150 starts deliveries this year of its F-150 Lightning EV.

Ford sold more 362,000 F-150 pickups in 2021 and has produced over 40 million since they first started rolling off the line in 1948, with Ford saying it will produce 150,000 F-150 EVs a year, with more than that already reserved by customers.

Chevy is also rolling out its electric Silverado as a 2024 model and a host of electric SUVs that tow – from the Audi e-Tron to the Tesla Model X – are already pulling stuff along U.S. highways.

And that raises a big question: When it comes to towing, how good are EVs?

The short answer is, due to their superior torque, they should do just fine. But tow ratings are just one measure, which will get into.

But first, let’s meet a family of five – or, six if you count their lab – who have been towing RVs with their 2020 Tesla Model X across the country from their home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

You might recognize Katie and Steve Krivolavek from their All Electric Family channel on YouTube. We got together on a Zoom call to discuss their transition to EV towing and the future of EV towing.

“Yeah, we have towed with all sorts of vehicles, from your everyday SUV to an Excursion to F-150s. So we’ve done quite a bit of towing and have made the switch to EVs,” said Katie.

They’ve been towing a 22-foot 2021 Coachman Apex Nano 194BHS BunkHouse RV, which tips the scales at around 4,800 pounds, fully loaded. Their Model X has a maximum tow rating of 5,000 pounds.

One of the things they love about towing with an EV is the added stability. “One of the very surprising things, I don’t know why I was surprised by this, I should have figured this out, was the stability of the actual electric vehicle. When towing it’s just – bar none,” said Steve.

They’ve been so pleased with their EV towing experience that they’re now ready to take to the next level. They’ve put reservations down for both the Rivian R1T pickup EV and Ford F-150 Lightning EV.

Why both? Because of the chip shortage, battery constraints and pandemic-induced supply issues, many models now have delivery backlogs stretching six months or more. They’ll likely buy whichever of the new pickups is available first.

“It’s crazy. I am super excited to try some of these trucks that have, you know, a battery pack that’s 35% bigger than the Model X, potentially even more. So that weight, that stability, the bigger body. I’m anticipating that at least the Lightning, I would imagine the R1T as well, will be just as stable as our F-350 and it’ll be a fun experience on that side, at least for me,” said Steve.

The Lightning, depending on the option package, has a tow rating of up to 10,000 pounds, while the R1T can tow up to 11,000 pounds.

Just like gasoline pickups, the range of EV pickups will take a big hit when towing, with Rivian estimating up to half its range of 314 miles could be lost when towing a heavy load.

And that brings us to charging. Ford says its Lightning can refuel from 15 to 80% in 41 minutes. Both the Lightning and Rivian hit peak charging speeds of about 150kW.

But here’s the rub. Unlike gas stations, most EV charging stations feature pull-in charging instead of pull-through charging, meaning that in many cases EV drivers will be forced to unhitch.

EV Rider reached out to the media department at Electrify America, which is the nation’s largest public fast-charging network, along with Ford and GM to ask about whether there’s a plan to avoid needing to unhook, but only GM responded, writing what is basically a polite no comment that reads: “Unfortunately, our team doesn’t have the bandwidth at this time to support your request.”

Katie said so far, unhitching while charging hasn’t really been an issue. “It wasn’t really a huge deal to us. I think we timed it once and it was less than five minutes.”

Katie also points out there have been plenty of occasions – at least for now – when they haven’t needed to unhitch.

“You can get creative in some of the places and not have to unhook, pulling into the last charger and leaving your trailer out down the side. The local charger in town, it’s at the back of a grocery store, and so there’s a long line of chargers and then parking that continues on down the line and so we can pull up and use that last charger. And you know honestly, we live in an area where there’s not a ton of EVs, so when we pull into a charging station, there’s a lot of times where it’s only us or us and one other car, so we feel comfortable blocking off one or two chargers.  And, obviously, keeping an eye on it to make sure that they don’t fill up, and we need to clear out space for someone else to charge.”

Although Electrify America and the manufacturers didn’t comment for this video, it’s possible that we’ll see future chargers adapt designs similar to gas stations, such as the Electrify America pictured above, which can accommodate EV tow vehicles without unhitching.

As for the All Electric Family, they’re already planning even bigger camping adventures.

“Yeah, so we have a 30-foot Airstream, so the bunkhouse Airstream model. It’s quite a bit bigger than the 22-foot and is just over the limit of what we can tow with the Model X. And so we kind of put the horse before the cart, because we knew we were loving the experience of towing with the EV, figuring it all out and seeing what the EV could do while towing, so we decided to upgrade and wanted to go on some longer trips so the smaller trailer just wasn’t a good fit for our family anymore. So we had a chance to get this 30-foot Airstream and so we jumped on the opportunity, knowing that the trucks were coming down the line.”

You can follow Katie and Steve’s adventures on their YouTube channel or by going to allelectricfamily.com.

If you’ve enjoyed this edition of EV Rider please subscribe. It’s free and will help me grow my audience.

The post Will Wave Of New Tow-Worthy EV Pickups Need To Unhitch To Charge? appeared first on EV Rider.

Over the holiday break I went up the Savannah, Ga. and back with some motorcycling buddies. As it turns out, that generated a variety of questions about my Zero Motorcycles SR/F and driving electric vehicles in general.

Got more questions not answered in the video? POST THEM HERE.

Rather than try to answer the questions I got on social media, I decided to instead post a video with some answers. 

One question I got more than once was how long did it take to charge at each stop over my 354-mile overnight excursion from Jacksonville, Fla. to Savannah and back. I didn’t actually time how long every charge was, but I would say the longest charge probably was about 1 hour and 20 minutes after reaching Brunswick, Ga.

During that charge at a hotel with four charging stalls, we ate breakfast across the street at a Waffle House. 

From there, we took U.S. 17 and back roads, ending up at the Georgia Peach World Farm in Townsend, which had a free ChargePoint station. We spent roughly 20 minutes at the farm. 

Then, we headed for Downtown Savannah and parked in a city garage that had several charging stalls. There was no extra charge for charging. A couple of people were amazed that I only spent a total of nine cents for my charging costs over the entirely of the journey. 

We rode approximately 354-miles between Jacksonville and Savannah and back, which included riding around town and exploring some side roads.

The only charging cost I had was at our meet up location in Downtown Jacksonville. In that case, I charged for 25 minutes at a ChargePoint station at WJCT Public Media. We also made a quick stop on Jacksonville’s far Northside at a free charger at a credit union on our way out of town. Jacksonville is the largest city by landmass in the continental U.S.

Another question I received was wide-ranging. The poster wanted to know all about the charging infrastructure across the country. Who pays for it?  What are the rates?  And so forth. 

There’s no single answer, but there is a lot of government funding is going toward charging stations. 

For example, I was able to get WJCT Public Media in Jacksonville a federal grant. I went through the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, which was distributing the grant money.

We put in two ChargePoint stations at WJCT. They each output 6.6 kW. Employees are able to charge at WJCT’s wholesale electric cost, while a markup is charged for the general public.

In the private sector some chargers are fully funded by the businesses that install them.

In many cases, Level 2 chargers end up being free for customers to use, where they are often offered as amenities to lure customers to places like hotels and supermarkets.

Level 2 charging stations still do tend to be very economical, if not free, at least here in Florida. I found that to be true in Georgia as well. 

Level 2 chargers, which are also commonly used by EV homeowners with garages, add roughly 25 miles of range per hour, depending on the car and the specific charger that’s installed.

For highway travel, where multiple refueling stops are needed in a day, many EV owners choose to use what are known as Level 3 DC chargers. Again, it depends on the car and charger, but Level 3 chargers can often add hundreds of miles
of range in under an hour.

For example, the Porsche Taycan EV can add up to 60 miles of charge in about four minutes, using a 350 kW Level 3 CCS charger.

In general, Level 3 DC charging costs more than gasoline. We spent $4.60 for 10 kilowatts of power at an Ormond Beach, FL Electrify America station during a December 2021 trip.

To put that into perspective, by the EPA’s definition, 33.7 kilowatts are equivalent to 1 gallon of gas in terms of energy. That’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison, since EVs tend to be much more efficient than equivalent gasoline vehicles.

Using our Mini Cooper SE EV as an example, the EPA estimates it gets the equivalent of 108 miles per gallon compared to a gasoline-powered Mini Cooper S, which gets 30 miles per gallon.

The EPA estimates the gas Mini’s fuel costs over the course of a year at more than triple the Mini EV’s fueling cost – at $2000 versus $600.

The thing to remember about EV charging is if you need the fastest charging speeds it will usually cost more. However, most EV drivers start out their day with a full charge, so they usually aren’t going to need to use the faster chargers, unless they’re going on a long road trip with multiple fueling stops in a day.

As far as funding for Level 3 chargers go, the largest public network in America is currently Electrify America. It was paid for by Volkswagen as part of its settlement in the “diesel-gate” emissions scandal. VW agreed to build out the network as a sort of penance and in preparation for its own transition from gas and diesel to electric vehicles.

Another $7.5 billion in federal money is due to be spent on building 500,000 EV chargers across the country as part of the Biden infrastructure plan that has now passed both houses of Congress.

My Savannah trip also generated curiosity about how far my Zero Motorcycles SR/F can go on a charge. The longest I’ve ridden between charges is 116 miles. I didn’t measure the longest distance I went between charges for my Savannah trip, but I would estimate it was probably about 70 miles.

Other than a short stretch in Georgia, we stuck to side roads for the entirety of the trip to Savannah, while we primarily used Interstate 95 for the ride back.

Zero estimated the 2020 SR/F could go 82 miles per charge at 70 mph, which I’ve found to be about right. The SR/F’s  exact range depends on weather conditions, hills and so on.

By comparison, a fully-optioned 2022 SR/F offers a range of up to 113 miles with battery capacities of up to 20.9 kWh.

Energica, which is another EV motorcycle maker, makes a 21.5 kWh battery pack for its bikes, giving them an even higher highway range. 

Not surprisingly, the range for electric automobiles is generally much higher than it is for motorcycles, just as gas-powered cars have bigger fuel tanks than internal combustion motorcycles.

The top trim level for the new Lucid Air EV, for example, offers a range of 520 miles, while a 2022 Tesla Model S tops 400 miles of range on a charge.

Another question I was asked was what sort of charging set-up my SR/F has. I have the 6kWh charging option, although Zero also offers a 12kWh Rapid Charger that can cut charging times by up to half. Two chargers can be used simultaneously if eMoto Design’s DJ Rapid Charge accessory is added.

Zero will also be offering a software upgrade that add another kWh of charging speed to either the 6 or 12kWh setups in the spring of 2022.

Stan, Steven and others that wrote in, I hope I answered your questions. If not, I’ll certainly do my best to answer any questions that are still on the table in the comments section. 

The post Q & A: EVs, Road Trips & Charging Costs appeared first on EV Rider.