digiNow SuperChargers for Altas - Interest Check

[Speedkills]

I’m interested as well.

 

[thsm007]

Did anything happen with this

 

[leeo45]

I would love to have an onboard charger or a carry-along charger for my EXR.

For trail riding and most typical uses it is not needed, so I understand that most people would not want the extra weight and ALTA designed the EX/EXR accordingly. However for true dual-sport riding or commuting it would be great to be able to ride somewhere, stop for lunch or work, recharge from a 110v outlet, and then ride further or get back home. Right now I can't safely get more than 25 miles from home without putting the bike on a trailer.

Speaking of such things, can anyone tell me how heavy and how large the "Normal Charger" is? I have the Rapid Charger. It is 25 pounds and way too big (18"x14"x8") to consider carrying on the bike.

 

[ElectroBraap]

I would love to have an onboard charger or a carry-along charger for my EXR.

For trail riding and most typical uses it is not needed, so I understand that most people would not want the extra weight and ALTA designed the EX/EXR accordingly. However for true dual-sport riding or commuting it would be great to be able to ride somewhere, stop for lunch or work, recharge from a 110v outlet, and then ride further or get back home. Right now I can't safely get more than 25 miles from home without putting the bike on a trailer.

Speaking of such things, can anyone tell me how heavy and how large the "Normal Charger" is? I have the Rapid Charger. It is 25 pounds and way too big (18"x14"x8") to consider carrying on the bike.

Very good points.

 

[ElectroBraap]

Speaking of such things, can anyone tell me how heavy and how large the "Normal Charger" is? I have the Rapid Charger. It is 25 pounds and way too big (18"x14"x8") to consider carrying on the bike.

Its wayyyy to big to carry onboard. maybe half the size of the rapid? roughly.

 

[Speedkills]

I would buy a charger I can put in a backpack for my exr that could hook up to public charging stations in a heartbeat. I’d want some sort of security attachment if possible because when I got to the trailhead I would end up just locking it to a tree somewhere

 

[Philip]

You could attach the rapid charger' Pelican case at a luggage top case onto the rear fender, like on touring bikes. Or buy a second identical Pelican case and mount then both on the sides, lile panniers.

 

[leeo45]

You could attach the rapid charger' Pelican case at a luggage top case onto the rear fender, like on touring bikes. Or buy a second identical Pelican case and mount then both on the sides, lile panniers.

Exactly. I ordered some heavy duty Velcro from Amazon last night so that I can attach the Rapid Charger to my rear fender. Problem solved.

Realistically, if I could get something close to ten pounds and smaller than a loaf of bread including the cords I would be willing to carry that in my daypack.

 

[snydes]

Exactly. I ordered some heavy duty Velcro from Amazon last night so that I can attach the Rapid Charger to my rear fender. Problem solved.

Realistically, if I could get something close to ten pounds and smaller than a loaf of bread including the cords I would be willing to carry that in my daypack.

The 2.7kw charger I believe could be made to fit in a backpack. Definitely possible.

 

[WoodsWeapon]

When i bought my EXR rapid charger, for whatever reason my dealer offered me a charger with or without a case. I didnt pay much attention to it out of the case, but i recall it being significantly smaller without the plastic case.

 

[Philip]

When i bought my EXR rapid charger, for whatever reason my dealer offered me a charger with or without a case. I didnt pay much attention to it out of the case, but i recall it being significantly smaller without the plastic case.

Interesting. Was is the same Rapid charger just without a case? I didn't know they existed without a case. Yes, without a case and with shorter cables the rapid charger should be pretty small.

 

[WoodsWeapon]

It appeared to be the same. I didnt have any interest in not having a protective case, so didnt really give it much of a look. Maybe the case it was in got broken and they took it out? Although the case seems pretty durable.

 

[snydes]

@MVetter any chance you are interested in revisiting this yet?

 

[Philip]

I did some digging on electricmotorcycleforum.com, and here is what I found out:

DigiNow uses Elcon chargers. The 3.3kW unit is the Elcon seen here: Elcon TC HK-J 3300W Charger

Apparently, Diginow is not using the new 6.6kW charger Elcon makes, I think they are still selling multiples of the 3.3kW.

Prices for Zero inboard chargers were quoted as follows (could be $300 less now):

SuperCharger v2.5 belly pan install 3.3kW = $2085 + shipping
SuperCharger v2.5 belly pan install 6.6kW = $2425 + shipping
SuperCharger v2.5 belly pan install 9.9kW = $3435 + shipping

Looks like the stock Alta Rapid charger is already an Elcon 3.3kW. It costs $900, if you buy it with a bike. Perhaps this is why DigiNow was not interested in making chargers for us.

The 3.3kW unit is already quite powerful, and I do not know anyone who would be interested in a 6.6kW charger and potentially blow up their battery. Zeros have larger batteries, so they can take it.

 

[MVetter]

We actually don't do any business with Elcon. There's like 5 companies in The West who use the same housings for these chargers, so you can't necessarily know what's what at a glance. There's a whole lot more than just a charging unit. We've got full CAN Bus communication and thermal data for the battery cells that constantly adjust charge rates within specific criteria to both charge the fastest and maximize battery life.

The battery is, by far, the most expensive and dangerous part of these bikes. Ours are the only aftermarket chargers that have never bricked a Zero because great care was made to carefully interface with the bikes and batteries correctly. As such we strongly advise against DIY chargers. We stand behind our units. We offer warranties.

I'd say the main reason(s) we haven't done anything with the Alta bikes yet are: a.) Brandon broke his back and hasn't been able to be super productive in the last few months, b.) We don't have an Alta to test and we need one to do it right, and c.) I'm not convinced the level of interest to make it financially viable exists yet within this community.

This does not mean we're ignoring you. Hell, I grew up on the dirt; I want to play around with an Alta at some point. I think that right now from both sides this is perhaps not the best time. But we are watching.

 

[Philip]

Thank you for the clarifications, Morgan. My goal was just to find out what you are offering to Zero owners, and to understand what you can offer to Alta owners. I think now we have some idea.

It appears if someone strips all the extras from one of the stock Alta chargers, they can get a unit similar to what you are offering to the Zero crowd, for half the price.

The main selling point of your unit for Alta owners would be the compatibility with the J-plug charging stations, and the portability.