digiNow SuperChargers for Altas - Interest Check

[MVetter]

Hi there. My name is Morgan and I work with Brandon at digiNow. Currently we make aftermarket fast charging kits for Zeros and, technically, Brammos (RIP). Philip here recently reached out to Brandon to come here and see if we can offer you guys a solution for quicker charging. Brandon is drowning in a sea of crimps, cables, and plugs and asked me to reach out instead (well technically he went on the Zero ride today but my version sounds more dramatic). We actually tried to reach out to the Alta folks a couple months back but never heard anything, possibly because we don't know anyone there. No worries.

Our chargers are stackable units that offer 3.3kW of charging (3.3, 6.6, or 9.9kW. Past 9.9kW is currently beyond the 1C rating on Zero batteries and the battery manufacturers get persnickety about that). Currently we like to take off the Zero stock 1.3kW charger in the belly pan and, in about the same amount of space put 3 chargers for 9.9kW of charging which takes what is normally a 10 hour recharge time down to an hour. Even Zero's own solution of the Charge Tank, which must be bought at the time of a new 2018 model and installed at the factory, only offers a mere 6kW of charging and takes up valuable real estate in the tank which could be filled with even more batteries. Or burritos.

Alta bikes of course, are more similar to Zero's FX bikes which are far smaller, lighter, and have fewer kW batteries to keep it light and handling the way you want. What this most likely means is you guys would most likely be interested in single 3.3kW units or a 2 stack of 6.6kW which would get your bikes charged in somewhere close to 30 minutes based on what I'm seeing on Alta's site. The trick is to figure out where to put them on the bike. We currently have no experience with Altas. Haven't had a chance to ride them or even look at them yet, really. But we'd like to.

So here's the long-winded point. Is what we do of interest to you? Would you like to have a full charge in 30 minutes? We would love to work *with* Alta to make sure we do everything in compliance with their specifications, so if anyone knows who we should try and contact that would help. Additionally if anyone has an Alta around the Monterey Bay area and is willing to pop by Carmel and let us look at/poke at/kick tires on your bike we'd love to see one up close. Let us know; we look forward to hearing from you. I'll be watching this thread but you can also reach me at morgan@diginow.it

Ride safe.

 

[Fod]

Hey Morgan,
Isn't alta a jump skip and a hop away? Go show face at the plant and tell them what's up! I am sure they are getting bombarded with emails and phone calls from all the riders who are entitled of free bikes and sponsorships...94% of the riders. And if one of your emails gets through the chances of it getting through to the right person is probably nill. So 30 minute charge! Yes please! If your down in so cal hit me up and you can kick around my bike and chargers. They were at sea otter last year, not sure if they went last week or not.

 

[MVetter]

You are correct in saying they are just a couple hours away. However showing up unannounced on a day they might be swamped isn't quite how I'd like to start things off. Also we have enough going on right now that taking 5 hours out of the work day for a 'maybe' isn't prudent. Where in So Cal? Brandon lives down in Thousand Oaks so he's often commuting between here and there on his Zero (which is something you can do if you have fast charging)

 

[snydes]

Any decrease in charge time is of interest.

I’m not familiar with your products, but it sounds like you are referring to an on board charging system, and in the case of Altas (with exception to the SM), are external. For the sake of not adding additional weight, I’d go out on a limb and say very few MX or MXR owners would want any on board systems. I would say everyone would likely be interested in a 30 minute change, provided it had Altas blessing for the sake of warranty concerns.

Thanks for the post!

 

[Fod]

I agree I would only be interested in a external charger. But the EX and SM are probably a different story. I am in Santa Clarita just north of thousand oaks! Brandon is more then welcome to check out my mxr and both standard and rapid chargers. Remember us mx guys want external like snydes said!

 

[MVetter]

External makes this much, much easier.

 

[Fod]

That's music to my ears. Now we need those Toshiba batteries and adios to gas!

 

[MVetter]

We'll still need to do a lot of work and figure out how the charger communicates and over what, etc. So yeah seeing a bike will help.

 

[Philip]

Thank you for your post, Morgan. I talked to Brandon before but he likes to go into such technical details that I didn't even understand what he was offering. Now I do!

The Alta Redshift battery is rated at 5.8 kWh. With your 3.3 kW charger, it should be possible to charge it in 1:45 hours. This is only 15 min slower than what the $800-dollar factory 'Rapid' charger does (it draws 16A from a 240V power source). How much would your 3.3 kW charger cost? The size and weight are also of interest, in case someone wants to travel with it.

I would assume two of those chargers could charge twice as fast. That is if the power circuitry can hold the current and Alta approves. A 53-minute or a 35-minute charge time would be awesome.

Brandon also mentioned that your chargers can power from pretty much any power source. That would be cool. I wonder it I could then just buy 2-4 large deep cycle marine batteries, hook them up in series, and build my own Tesla Powerwall in the van to charge my bike with your charger.

 

[Philip]

And we have a few Alta people here who might be able to help us. Rapid chargers are on a worldwide backorder, but Alta still wants to keep selling bikes, and those need to come with chargers. So, perhaps they would be very interested, if your product is a viable option. They might even want to offer it as an overpriced OEM option (we here get the discounted pricing then)!

@Judaslefourbe

 

[snydes]

Decreased charging time is the next best thing to increased range, so any advancements in this area would be huge.

 

[WoodsWeapon]

Sounds like a product that theres certainly a demand for, but I dont think youll ever get Altas blessing to sell it without them getting a cut. And rightfully so, afterall they are in business to make money.

 

[MVetter]

Sounds like a product that theres certainly a demand for, but I dont think youll ever get Altas blessing to sell it without them getting a cut. And rightfully so, afterall they are in business to make money.

Having Alta's blessing would definitely be nice and preferable, but not essential. As long as it conforms to the standards set by the battery manufacturer and whatever BMS stuff is on the bike everyone should be happy. So again, if anyone has an Alta contact we could get in touch with it would certainly be good first step.

 

[WoodsWeapon]

I believe theres an Alta employee thats a member here, and I know over at VitalMX.com theres a member there with the user name Zoom thats an Alta rep.
I would certainly be interested in any kind of fast charger, as I believe most of us would be, and Id let you guinea pig my bike, but im on the other side of the country.

 

[banned]

Hello,

I'd start with emailing service@altamotors.co, they're probably your best avenue.

 

[ElectroBraap]

I definitely am interested. Two reasons. Who doesn't want faster charging times? It will make a great video or series of videos for my YouTube channel.

 

[Elite Motorsports]

Having Alta's blessing would definitely be nice and preferable, but not essential. As long as it conforms to the standards set by the battery manufacturer and whatever BMS stuff is on the bike everyone should be happy. So again, if anyone has an Alta contact we could get in touch with it would certainly be good first step.

I know a good chunk of customers that would be very interested in a faster charging option. Having said that, would your chargers be compatible with a gas generator for charging in the field? Give me a call when you get a free moment and we can talk shop.

 

[Philip]

@MVetter -- Getting an official approval from Alta would be awesome for your sales. But based on my experience, you may never get it, simply because we are asking Alta to endorse a product that they are not familiar with and have no control over. It might be easier to get a UL or CE approval than Alta's.

The second best would be to get some cooperation from Alta. Some official guidelines, perhaps.

The third best would be to rely on the industry standards and hope this is what Alta follows as well.

Those are all important considerations for the owners of Alta motorcycles. Nobody wants to accidentally fry their $3,500 battery, or have a fire in their garage.

All of us here have one charger already. Having a second charger to keep in the racing van or in the garage would be a benefit. To those who do not have a factory Rapid charger, your 3.3 kW charger would be an upgrade.

But new 2018 Altas now come without chargers. Standard chargers are now a $499 option and a Rapid chargers are $799. Your DigiNow charger can be an alternative.

Your 3.3 kW charger should provide similar charging times to the $800-dollar factory 'Rapid' charger, which comes in a ~18x12x8" Pelican case to keep all the cables in. If you can beat it on price or size, that would be awesome.

If you make a 6.6 kW charger, this could cut down the charging times to just ~50 minutes. But it should be seriously tested to make sure it is safe to use. You can sell it at a price premium for the racer types among us.

Lastly, do not get discouraged by the apparent lack of people shoving fistfuls of cash at you. This Alta forum is quite active, but we have only a couple of dozen people actively posting. Alta Motors has just started growing this year with the announcement of the Redshift MXR. It will take time for the Alta ownership to grow. Check in with us in a few months. And be prepared to answer all the questions.

 

[Fod]

Just wondering if a faster charger is I the works?!?! Any updates?!?!?!

 

[gprix1]

Add me to the list of people who would be very interested.