This week has been press release week at RideApart HQ, with lots of news pouring in during the run-up to next month's EICMA show in Milan. Everyone is just bursting to tell us about their new models and, since it's our job, we're going to pass all that info on to you. One of the standout press releases we got this week was the one from Zero Motorcycles, purveyors of fine spaceships electric motorcycles from the California Republic. Let's take a look at what the new and improved 2018 Zeroes have in store for us, shall we?

The biggest news for 2018 is increased power output across the line. According to Zero, the new 2018 model line features increased battery capacity and a high-speed on-board charger option that increases charging speeds by six times. The Z-Force battery capacity is up by more than 10 percent, and the new ZF14.4, ZF7.2 and ZF3.6 batteries offer more range than any two-wheel electric vehicle on the market. The optional range-extending ZF3.6 Power Tank, with the largest ZF14.4 battery, offers 18 kilowatt-hours of energy and the longest range of any two wheel EV available. The city range is up to 223 miles, which is not too shabby at all.

New 2018 Zeroes, Now With More Power and Faster Charging!

READ MORE: 2016 Zero FXS - Ride Review

For ease of use, every Zero motorcycle can be charged using standard 110 V or 220 V wall outlets. To give riders the ability to cover more ground in a single day, Zero launched a 6 kW Charge Tank that enables charging up to six times faster than the standard charger. The new Charge Tank is compatible with the extensive worldwide network of Level 2 EV charge stations. The new option is available on all Zero S, SR, DS, and DSR models.  When combined with the standard charger, the new Charge Tank drops charge times for ZF7.2 models to one hour (0-95%), and reduces ZF14.4 models to about two hours.

“Zero’s new 6 kW Charge Tank allows riders to charge at speeds of up to 103 miles per hour (166 kph) of charging* at any of the growing number of over 14,000 Level 2 charging stations around the world.” said Zero Motorcycles CTO Abe Askenazi. “This means riders can add 30 miles of ‘fuel’ in the time it takes to stop for a cup of coffee or fully recharge over lunch. This completely changes the utility of electric motorcycles by eliminating long recharging times.”

New 2018 Zeroes, Now With More Power and Faster Charging!

READ MORE: Going Electric - 2016 Zero DSR Review

The 2018 Zero models with the compact and lighter weight ZF7.2 batteries offer 11 percent more rear wheel torque. The ZF14.4 Zero S and Zero DS have been fine tuned to deliver up to 30% more power and torque to amp up acceleration at highway speeds.

Zero also freshened up its mobile tuning app for 2018. Along with the usual performance adjustments – max torque, top speed, regenerative braking levels, etc. – the app now allows riders to update their bike's firmware from the comfort of their own garage rather than schlepping to a dealer. That's a feature worth its weight in neodymium right there.

New 2018 Zeroes, Now With More Power and Faster Charging!

READ MORE: Zero DSR Brings the 'Whee!' — Ride Review

For more info on Zero's upcoming bike lineup, check out their website and YouTube page.

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