Wes Siler’s review of the ZERO DS Electric Motorcycle was refreshing to read. So often, ‘green’ websites are sold on any electric vehicle (EV) on sight and then blown away by the manufacturer’s reported specs. But Mr. Siler went further and rode the ZERO DS for three weeks hoping that it could be his zero-emission commuting solution and it wasn’t. Here are his inconvenient truths about the ZERO DS Electric Motorcycle:

• Truth #1: [Despite its spec'd 115 mile range]Sixty miles is about as much as you’ll want to rely on.
• Truth #2: Even with a quick charger, full recharges take five hours.
• Truth #3: Easily accessible outdoor outlets are much harder to find than you think.
• Truth #4: Plugging in for 45 minutes here or an hour there at some random outlet (the quick charger is too big to conveniently take with you) does absolutely nothing.
• Truth #4: Distances aren’t one way when you can only really charge at home. A 10-mile journey has to be thought of as 20 miles, or one-third the 9kWh Zero’s effective range. That’s right, something that’s 10 miles away is one-third of your maximum reliable travel distance. You can travel there three times a day max and, once you’re there, your next move has to be limited accordingly.

Check out the full article and review for more information.

Of course I’m no different – I want to see an electric vehicle succeed. But in the future, thanks to Mr. Siler’s review of the ZERO DS, I’ll be a little more reluctant to buy into the hype. [Wired: Autopia]