Patent Shows New Mini-Bike From Zero
The filing shows a small, lightweight electric bike that could become an ideal urban commuting machine
A patent filing, uncovered by CycleWorld's Ben Purvis, shows a potential new model from the electric bike maker Zero.
Hard and fast details and specs relating to the model are not yet known, although even just by looking at the bike we can pick out a number of key points of note. Firstly, it seems as though the machine is about the same size as the Honda Monkey 125 and MSX125 (also called the Grom in some regions).
The running gear of the bike, suspension, brakes and so on, aren’t yet confirmed (hence being depicted with dotted lines on the images), although the filing shows the battery location and it looks as though it could be a removable item.
That’s a key feature for any electric motorcycle aimed at city riding, as it allows the rider to commute to work on the machine and then remove the battery once they arrive and carry it into work to recharge it. This has the knock-on effect of allowing the battery to be smaller and lightweight than is found in a number of electric bikes. The removable battery element (should Zero go down this route) would set the bike apart from the rest of the Zero range, as the rest of its bikes feature fixed batteries, occasionally paired to a range-extending battery pack mounted in the faux fuel tank.
The specs of the motor are also unknown, although we can see its positioning in the bike is the same as the rest of the Zero range - around the swingarm pivot point. With that in mind, the bike will probably run a belt drive to the rear wheel, which is the same system Zero employs on its full-size electric machines.
We also don’t know when the potential bike could be landing, although given the electric vehicle market seeing a downturn in sales in recent months, Zero will likely want to speed through the bike’s development, taking advantage of the more solid sales shown in the small-capacity electric bike sector.
you may also want to read out rundown of the best electric motorcycles you can buy in 2024
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
