2024 Zero Model Updates Tipped in NHTSA Filings

The evidence comes to us in the form of a Part 566 Manufacturer Identification document submitted by Zero to NHTSA, dated June 15, 2023. As defined by the U.S. National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, a 566 is a form providing identifying information for a manufacturer and the vehicles it produces. The data contained in a 566 is usually pretty rudimentary, typically listing contact information, the kind of vehicles produced, and a general sense of their Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings (GVWR).

The latest 566 submission from Zero lists 10 models and their GVWR. All of the listed models are already in Zero’s lineup, but four of them, the S, SR, DS, and DSR, are marked to indicate their GVWRs apply to model year 2024 and newer. This suggests that these four models are getting updated for 2024, while the other models are returning unchanged from 2023.

Of the 10 models on the 566 submission, four of them have different GVWRs from the existing 2023 models. The Zero S sees a 95-pound increase to its GVWR while the DS and DSR see a 197-pound increase, and all three are marked as being for MY2024+. The SR is also marked for MY2024+, but its GVWR remains at 1,001 pounds. The DSR/X also sees a relatively small 3 pound difference in its weight rating, but that can likely be explained by a combination of metric conversions and rounding up to the nearest kilogram.

Apart from seeing an increase to their GVWRs, the current Zero S, DS, and DSR also share something else in common: they all use Zero’s SDS frame design. The SR, meanwhile, switched to the FST platform in 2022, sharing the same steel trellis frame with the Zero SR/F and SR/S, while the DSR/X uses a modified version called the FSTX.

Notably, the three models on the FST platform are all listed with a GVWR of 1,001 pounds, which suggests that the 2024 Zero S will be switching from the SDS platform to the steel trellis frame. Similarly, the 2024 DS and DSR have a GVWR of 1,103 pounds, the same as the DSR/X, which suggests that they will all be sharing the FSTX frame.

There’s no indication of any changes to the FX, FXE or FXS, so we assume they will remain on their current X platform. If we are right, then that means Zero is phasing out its mid-tier SDS platform and leaving the range with the X, FST, and FSTX frames.

Streamlining the platforms would result in a more efficient production flow, and likely lower manufacturing costs for Zero. We can probably expect other updates to these four MY2024+ models. The SR is already on the new platform, so its updates will come in other areas, and some of those will likely be found on the updated S, DS, and DSR as well.

Unfortunately, the 566 filing does not provide any clues as to what those changes may be. A higher capacity battery would be welcome, and would explain some of the increase in the GVWR. The current FST models all use a more powerful Z-Force 75-10 motor (or in the case of the DSR/X, the torquier 75-10X motor), and they all use the Cypher III+ operating system, with a la carte upgrades. We suspect the S, DS, and DSR will get some of these features, but Zero will want to preserve some separation between from the higher-end models.

Last year, Zero announced the DSR/X plus updates to its SR/F and SR/S in September, so we don’t expect to hear official word about the 2024 updates until the fall.

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