Zero Log Parser

A modern Python package for parsing Zero Motorcycle log files with structured data extraction and multiple output formats.

This tool parses binary-encoded event logs from Zero Motorcycles' main bike board (MBB) and battery management system (BMS) into human-readable formats, emulating Zero's official log parser functionality with enhanced structured data extraction.

Features

• Multiple Output Formats: Text, CSV, TSV, and JSON
• Interactive Data Visualization: Generate rich HTML plots for data analysis
• Structured Data Extraction: Automatically converts telemetry data to structured JSON format
• Timezone Support: Configurable timezone handling with system default
• Modern Python Package: Built for Python 3.10+ with type hints and modern packaging
• CLI and Library: Use as command-line tool or import as Python library
• Enhanced Parsing: Improved message parsing with descriptive event names and structured sensor data

Installation

From PyPI (recommended)

# Basic installation
pip install zero-log-parser

# With plotting dependencies
pip install zero-log-parser[plotting]

From Source

git clone https://github.com/ilja-radusch/zero-log-parser.git
cd zero-log-parser

# Basic installation
pip install -e .

# With plotting dependencies
pip install -e ".[plotting]"

For Development

git clone https://github.com/ilja-radusch/zero-log-parser.git
cd zero-log-parser
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or higher
• No external dependencies (uses only Python standard library)
• Optional: plotly and pandas for interactive plotting features

Usage

Getting Logs

You can extract logs from your Zero motorcycle using the Zero mobile app:

1. Download the Zero mobile app
2. Pair your motorcycle with it via Bluetooth
3. Select Support > Email bike logs
4. Enter your email address to send the logs to yourself
5. Download the attachment from the email

Command Line Interface

The package provides multiple CLI commands: zero-log-parser and zlp (short alias) for parsing, and zero-plotting for interactive visualizations.

Note: Interactive plotting is available through the zero-plotting command. The main CLI (zero-log-parser/zlp) and standalone script (zero_log_parser.py) provide parsing functionality only.

Basic Usage

# Parse to text format (default)
zero-log-parser logfile.bin

# Specify output file
zero-log-parser logfile.bin -o output.txt

# Different output formats
zero-log-parser logfile.bin -f csv -o output.csv
zero-log-parser logfile.bin -f tsv -o output.tsv
zero-log-parser logfile.bin -f json -o output.json

Advanced Options

# Custom timezone (UTC offset in hours)
zero-log-parser logfile.bin --timezone -8  # PST
zero-log-parser logfile.bin --timezone 1   # CET

# Verbose output
zero-log-parser logfile.bin --verbose

# Short alias
zlp logfile.bin -f json -o structured_data.json

Interactive Plotting

Generate rich HTML visualizations of your motorcycle data using the zero-plotting command:

# Make sure you have plotting dependencies installed
# Either: pip install zero-log-parser[plotting]
# Or: pip install plotly pandas

# Generate all available plots
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot all

# Generate specific plot types
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot battery      # Battery SOC and health
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot power       # Power consumption analysis
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot range       # Range estimation and efficiency
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot performance # RPM vs efficiency analysis
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot thermal     # Temperature monitoring
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot voltage     # Voltage analysis
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot charging    # Charging session & recuperation analysis
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot balance     # Cell balance health

# Specify output directory for HTML plots
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot all --plot-output-dir ./plots

# Time filtering examples
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot thermal --start "last month"
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot battery --start "June 2025" --end "July 2025"
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot power --start "2025-06-15" --end "2025-06-20"
zero-plotting logfile.bin --plot range --start "last 30 days"

Time Filtering

The zero-plotting command supports flexible time filtering using --start and --end parameters:

Relative Time Formats:

• "last week", "last month", "last year"
• "last 7 days", "last 30 days", "last 3 months"

Specific Date Formats:

• "June 2025", "December 2024" (month and year)
• "2025-06-15", "2025-06-15 14:30" (ISO format)
• "06/15/2025", "15/06/2025" (US/EU date formats)
• "June 15, 2025" (natural language)

Usage Examples:

# Filter data from the last month only
zero-plotting logs.bin --plot thermal --start "last month"

# Filter data for a specific month
zero-plotting logs.bin --plot battery --start "June 2025" --end "July 2025"

# Filter data for a specific date range
zero-plotting logs.bin --plot power --start "2025-06-15" --end "2025-06-20"

# Filter data from a specific date until now
zero-plotting logs.bin --plot range --start "2025-06-01"

Help

zero-log-parser --help

Python Library

from zero_log_parser import LogData, parse_log

# Parse a log file
log_data = LogData("path/to/logfile.bin")

# Access parsed data
print(f"Entries: {log_data.entries_count}")
print(f"Header: {log_data.header_info}")

# Generate different output formats
text_output = log_data.emit_text_decoding()
json_output = log_data.emit_json_decoding()

# Or use the high-level function
parse_log(
    log_file="input.bin",
    output_file="output.json",
    output_format="json",
    timezone_offset=-8  # PST
)

Output Formats

Text Format (default)

Human-readable format similar to Zero's official parser:

Entry     Timestamp            Level     Event                    Conditions
6490      2025-08-03 12:34:32  DATA      Firmware Version         {"revision": 48, ...}

CSV Format

Comma-separated values for spreadsheet import:

Entry,Timestamp,LogLevel,Event,Conditions
6490,2025-08-03 12:34:32,DATA,Firmware Version,"{""revision"": 48, ...}"

TSV Format

Tab-separated values for data analysis:

Entry	Timestamp	LogLevel	Event	Conditions
6490	2025-08-03 12:34:32	DATA	Firmware Version	{"revision": 48, ...}

JSON Format

Structured JSON with metadata and parsed telemetry:

{
  "metadata": {
    "source_file": "logfile.bin",
    "log_type": "MBB",
    "total_entries": 6603
  },
  "entries": [
    {
      "entry_number": 6490,
      "timestamp": "2025-08-03 12:34:32",
      "log_level": "DATA",
      "event": "Firmware Version",
      "is_structured_data": true,
      "structured_data": {
        "revision": 48,
        "build_date": "2024-11-17",
        "build_time": "14:19:50"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Structured Data Features

The parser automatically detects and converts various message types to structured JSON:

• Firmware Version: Build info, revision, timestamps
• Battery Pack Configuration: Pack type, brick count, specifications
• Discharge Level: SOC, current, voltage, temperature data
• SOC Data: State of charge with voltage and current readings
• Voltage Readings: Contactor and cell voltage measurements
• Charging/Riding Status: Comprehensive telemetry during operation
• Tipover Detection: Sensor data with roll/pitch measurements
• Error Conditions: Structured fault and diagnostic information

Data Visualization

The plotting feature provides comprehensive analysis capabilities:

Range Analysis (--plot range)

Analyze riding efficiency and range estimation:

• Energy consumption rate (Wh/mile or Wh/km) over time
• Remaining range estimates based on current battery SOC and consumption history
• Speed vs efficiency correlation to identify optimal riding speeds
• Trip segment analysis showing consumption patterns for different riding conditions

Performance vs Efficiency (--plot performance)

Correlate motor performance with energy efficiency:

• RPM vs power consumption scatter plots to identify efficient operating ranges
• Motor efficiency curves showing optimal RPM bands for different power levels
• Speed vs energy consumption analysis for performance tuning
• Torque delivery efficiency across different riding scenarios

Battery Health Monitoring (--plot battery)

Comprehensive battery state tracking:

• State of Charge (SOC) progression over ride sessions
• Battery voltage curves under load and at rest
• Temperature impact on battery performance
• Charge/discharge cycle analysis for battery health assessment

Power Analysis (--plot power)

Detailed energy usage pattern analysis:

• Real-time power draw visualization with regenerative braking events
• Acceleration vs consumption correlation for riding style analysis
• Peak power events and their impact on overall efficiency
• Power distribution analysis across different riding modes

Charging & Recuperation Analysis (--plot charging)

Comprehensive charging session and energy recovery analysis:

• AC voltage monitoring during charging sessions
• EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) current tracking
• State of charge progression during charging
• Recuperation analysis: Energy recovery during regenerative braking (negative battery current)
• Regenerative braking efficiency and frequency analysis
• Energy flow visualization showing both consumption and recovery

Example Output: All plots are generated as interactive HTML files that can be opened in any web browser, featuring zoom, pan, and hover capabilities for detailed data exploration.

Example Plots

Here are some example visualizations generated from Zero Motorcycle log data:

Thermal Management - Temperature Deltas from Ambient

Shows component temperatures relative to ambient conditions, with gaps indicating when the motorcycle was switched off.

Performance vs Efficiency Analysis

Correlates motor RPM with battery current consumption, colored by state of charge for performance optimization insights.

Range Analysis - Odometer vs State of Charge

Analyzes energy consumption patterns across distance traveled, with current draw indicators for riding efficiency assessment.

Development

Setup Development Environment

git clone https://github.com/ilja-radusch/zero-log-parser.git
cd zero-log-parser
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Log File Formats

The parser supports multiple Zero motorcycle log formats:

• MBB Logs: Main bike board event logs
• BMS Logs: Battery management system logs
• Legacy Format: Static addresses for older firmware
• Ring Buffer Format: Dynamic format for 2024+ firmware

For detailed format documentation, see LOG STRUCTURE.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Run the test suite and code quality tools
6. Submit a pull request

Authors

• Ilja Radusch - Current Maintainer - @ilja-radusch
• Kim Burgess - Original Author - @KimBurgess
• Brian T. Rice - Previous Maintainer - @BrianTRice
• Keith Thomas - Contributor - @keithxemi

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License

Acknowledgments

Originally developed at https://github.com/KimBurgess/zero-log-parser, this is a modernized fork with enhanced structured data extraction and modern Python packaging.

Support

• Report issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: GitHub Repository