So, OK. It looks like the Empulse has some real specs. Time for a spec battle. Here you go, from the spec pages on the respective bikes except where noted:
| Zero ZF9 | Brammo Empulse R | |
| Range | ||
| City (EPA UDDS) | 114 miles (183 km) | 121 miles (195 km) |
| Highway (commuting, 70mph) | 63 miles (101 km) | 56 miles (90 km) |
| Motor | ||
| Type | High efficiency, double-stator axial flux permanent magnet, brushless motor with integrated forced air cooling. 42 ft-lb @ 3800 rpm. | Permanent Magnet AC (PMAC) – Water Cooled 40kW, @ 8,200 rpm (54 hp), 63Nm (46.5 foot pounds) |
| Controller | High efficiency, 420 amp, 3-phase brushless controller with re-generative deceleration
(Sevcon Gen4, Size 4, 3-Phase controller) |
Sevcon Gen 4 |
| Top speed (max) | 88 mph (142 km/h) | 100 + mph (160 + km/h) |
| Power System | ||
| Type | Z-Force™ patented Li-Ion intelligent power pack | Brammo Power™ BPM15/90 Lithium-Ion ( NCM Chemistry) |
| Maximum capacity | 9.0 kWh | 10.2 kWh (max) |
| Nominal capacity | 7.9 kWh | 9.31 kWh (nominal) |
| Estimated pack life to 80% (city) | 308,000 miles (495,000 km) | 1,500 cycles to 80% capacity (100% DOD) (ED NOTE: @ an average range of 70mi, that’s about 100,000 miles.) |
| Charger type | 1kW, integrated | |
| Charge time (standard) | 9.0 hours (100% charged) / 8.0 hours (95% charged) | Level I maximum charging time: 8 Hours. (0 – 99% SOC, no cell imbalances) |
| Quick 2x charger time (accessory) | 4.9 hours (100% charged) / 4.0 hours (95% charged) | Level II maximum charging time: 3.5 Hours. (0 – 99% SOC, no cell imbalances) |
| Quick 3x charger time (accessory) | 3.1 hours (100% charged) / 2.7 hours (95% charged) | Every 10 minutes of Level II charging adds up to 5 miles of range |
| Quick 4x charger time (accessory) | 2.4 hours (100% charged) / 2.0 hours (95% charged) | |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | Clutchless one speed | IET 6 speed gearbox with multi-plate, hydraulic activated wet clutch |
| Final drive | 132T / 28T, Poly Chain® GT® Carbon™ belt | Direct Chain Drive (14/48) 520 O-ring chain |
| Chassis / Suspension / Brakes | ||
| Front suspension | 38mm inverted forks with adjustable compression and rebound damping | Fully Adjustable 43mm Marzocchi Forks |
| Rear suspension | Direct-link shock with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping | Fully Adjustable Sachs Shock |
| Front brakes | 2 piston hydraulic, 310×4 mm floating disc | Dual 310mm Brembo floating disk with twin four piston Hydraulic Brembo Brake Calipers, Radial Mount. |
| Rear brakes | 1 piston hydraulic, 220×4 mm disc | Brembo single disk with dual piston Hydraulic Brembo Brake Caliper |
| Regenerative Braking | Yes | Yes |
| Front tire | 110/70-17 | 120/70-17 AVON AV79 |
| Rear tire | 130/70-17 | 180/55-17 AVON AV80 |
| Front wheel | 3.00×17 | 17”x 3.5” Marchesini |
| Rear wheel | 3.50×17 | 17” x 5.5” Marchesini |
| Dimensions | ||
| Wheel base | 56.6 inches (1438 mm) | 58.0” 147.32 cm |
| Seat height (standard) | 32.8 inches (832 mm) | 31.5” 80.0 cm |
| Rake | 23.1 degrees | 24° |
| Trail | 3.0 inches (76 mm) | 3.8″ |
| Curb weight | 341 pounds (155 kg) | 470lbs. / 213kg |
| Carrying capacity | 340 pounds (154 kg) | Cargo Capacity 365 lbs. / 165.6 kg (805 lbs. / 365.1 kg total combined motorcycle, rider, passenger and cargo) |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting MSRP | $13,995.00 | $18,995.00 |
The specification page for the Zero is here. The Brammo Empulse page is here.
* I’m pretty sure they’re using a fairly stock Motenergy ME 0913 motor. At 0.15 Nm/amp, and 420A maximum, you have 63Nm
The Electric Chronicles: Power in Flux 
I thought the Zero S did regen also?
Thanks, yes it does: http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-s/features.php. Corrected.
But what about the acereration? i think here the Brammo its quite superior to the Zero.
Unfortunately, no acceleration numbers are available at this point, but yes, from what I’ve been able to gather via the grapevine, there’s a significant difference.
Ted,
No need to guess at torque spec. 42 ft-lb
Click to access powertrains-sales-sheets.pdf
Warren
Thanks Warren! Updated.
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Hey Ted. Been too long since I have checked into your blog. Just thought I would add that Brian Wissman mentioned the size of the on-board charger in the Empulse in my interview with him. If memory serves it is a 3kWh charger.
The Zero also has 54 hp.
….and 68 lb-ft of torque.
The 2012 spec was 42 lb-ft, but they’ve introduced their own motor.
Oops, this is an older post. Sorry. Obviously, the 2013 Zero is far superior to the 2012 Zero and much closer to the Empulse performance-wise, though I still expect the Empulse to be quicker.