Little fuels a passion for travel like a cross-country trip.
Perhaps "fuels" is the wrong word though, as it's not unusual to see people attempt U.S. crossings using electrons these days.
Terry Hershner has done just that, though not in the air-conditioned luxury of a Tesla Model S. Instead, his trip from Florida to California (and back) was done aboard a 2012 Zero ZF9 electric motorcycle.
Perhaps even more impressively, Hershner's trip was simply a small slice of the 40,000 miles he's ridden in 14 months on the Zero.
The bike is far from standard, with modifications for greater range and aerodynamics being added over the 40,000 miles. Hershner's Off The Grid Facebook page reveals the Vetter fairing was added just a few months ago--lending the bike a real Blade Runner look, as well as improving its long-distance gait.
Autoblog Green reported back in May that the bike has also gained a larger, 18 kilowatt-hour battery pack. Combined, the modifications help Hershner do more than 200 miles at interstate speeds, rather than the 60-odd of the standard bike.
That still requires a good few charges on a cross-country jaunt, but further modifications and a selection of different chargers allow the batteries to replenish quicker than before. Less time charging means more time beating Guinness World Records--a specialty of Hershner's--though as the video above shows, there's still plenty of time to take photos.
It's an impressive, fascinating journey and yet another string to the electric vehicle's bow. The romance of travel isn't dead--it's just getting greener.
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