Have you ever been stranded with your motorcycle? No one wants to experience running out of power before getting to their destination, so checking the battery level of your motorcycle before the commencement of any trip is essential to avoid any unforeseen events or an unexpected discharge. 

In this sense, having a motorbike with a high level of autonomy is one of the key factors when choosing one motorbike over another, as nowadays it is a handicap not to be able to plan long trips due to the lack of autonomy. 

At Rossvolt, we have listened to the demands of the customers. That’s why our motorbikes have the longest autonomy and independence on the market so that the number of kilometers to be covered is never an obstacle on any of your trips. In the following post, we will focus on everything you need to know about electric charging points. Take note! 

How does the motor work in an electric motorcycle? 

Before delving into the methodology to be followed to charge an electric motorbike, it is first important to clarify certain aspects. When referring to electric motorbikes, we no longer talk about displacement, compression, bore per stroke, or power and torque at a given number of revolutions. All these terms become amps, kilowatts, life cycles, chargers, and regenerative braking in electric motorbikes. 

As you know, in the electric motorbike, the electric motor is responsible for converting the electrical energy into mechanical energy, achieving the movement of the motorbike. One of the advantages of this type of motor is that it is a reversible motor, so the energy produced by the rotation of the wheels can be used as a generator, making full use of this energy. 

Even though in all-electric motorbikes, the operation of the motor and the transformation of energy are the same, there are different types of chargers, connectors, and charging modes

 

What types of chargers are there? 

As mentioned above, battery operation is generally the same for all-electric motorbikes. However, there are different charges depending on the type of battery. 

When we talk about chargers, we refer to the system that recharges the battery, not the type of connector that connects to the motorbike. The charger is the device we use to recharge power on the motorbike and will vary depending on whether the power is delivered in alternating or direct current. There are several types of chargers, differentiating: 

  • Domestic charger. This type of charger can be found on the wall and works with the single-phase alternating current of homes, making it the slowest and simplest. 
  • Semi-fast chargers. Are designed for public roads or charging points located at petrol stations. 
  • Fast charger. They can reach a charging power of 50 kW of direct current. 
  • Ultra-fast chargers. These are the fastest chargers. However, they are the most difficult to find. 

 

What connectors can an electric motorcycle have? 

When we talk about electrical connectors, we refer to the types of plugs through which electric motorbikes can be charged. In the same way that there are different connectors depending on the country, we can also find other connectors depending on the electric motorcycle

You may have heard about different electric motorcycle connectors but you may not be familiar with the characteristics of each one. Here we tell you the most important of each of them.

  • Schuko connector: This is the domestic plug that we find at home. 
  • Type 1: One of the most widely used single-phase connectors globally, although it is not noted for its charging speed. 
  • Type 2, CCs, or Mennekes: European standard charging connector as it can be single-phase or three-phase. 
  • CCS Combo 2: Combines an AC Type 2 connector with a two-terminal connector for DC charging. 

Although there are different types of connectors, there are adapters to act as an intermediary between the connector and the motorcycle. There is no problem if we arrive at a charging station and do not find the connector we are interested in. 

Charging modes of an electric motorbike

Depending on the charging point you are at, there are four different types of charging

  • Level 1 charging point: These are very common but offer the slowest charging speed. It is also called the typical standard household socket or 120-volt socket. If you want to plug your bike in overnight, they are available. This level of charging operates on alternating current.
  • Level 2 charging point: Most electric motorbikes are prepared by their manufacturer to use level 2 charging points and are becoming increasingly popular. It should take a few hours to charge a battery with this level 2 charge point fully. This charging level operates on AC power.
  • Level 3 charge point: This mode allows semi-fast charging at charging stations, 16 and 32 amps up to 22kW. 
  • Level 4 charging point: This is characterized as the fastest charging mode used at outdoor charging points, from 44kW upwards. 

Different companies have contributed to the ecosystem of electric charging points, and Rossvolt also has a place. More and more charging points are located at petrol stations or in public car parks. In addition, more and more facilities and installations are taking place in private homes, making charging an electric vehicle an increasingly simple task. 

Electric Vehicle Charging Station  

Thanks to technological and infrastructural advances toward full sustainable mobility in the not too distant future, more and more facilities and installations make it possible to charge your electric vehicle without any problems

Equipment supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles; the charging stations provide connectors that conform to various standards. Although batteries can only be charged with DC power, recent models of electric vehicles have an inbuilt AC-DC converter that allows them to be plugged into a household AC electrical receptacle.

The difference between a standard household AC electrical receptacle and a charging station is that there will be no need to convert AC-DC. In a charging station, the converter is inbuilt, and supplies already converted DC power directly to the vehicle bypassing the vehicle’s onboard converter. Most fully electric vehicle models can accept both AC and DC power.

Although most charging stations are located in private car parks, shopping malls, government facilities, etc., installing a charging point in a car park is becoming easier and easier. It is becoming increasingly easy to install a charging point in your car park. To do this, it is only necessary to take into account certain aspects such as carrying out a site analysis, ensuring that the location meets the lighting and safety requirements, carrying out infrastructure planning, and, finally, installing the charging point taking into account all the necessary elements that complete the construction. 

Imagine how convenient and sustainable it would be to have an electric charging point in the garage of your home… Start being part of the electric motorcycle revolution!