In the coming 18 months, the legendary American motorcycle manufacturer, Harley Davidson will introduce a production-ready electric motorcycle. The news has been confirmed by the top official of the Milwaukee-based company. Altogether, the fourth quarter result of the company is also affirming that the brand is successfully heading on its route of electrifying motorcycle segment in the given time period with huge investment.
Matt Levatich, CEO, Harley-Davidson said, "The EV motorcycle market is in its infancy today, but we believe premium Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles will help drive excitement and participation in the sport globally" and "As we expand our EV capabilities and commitment, we get even more excited about the role electric motorcycles will play in growing our business."
However, It was pretty unexpected from the firm that deals in chrome-laden V-Twins motorcycles are moving to develop an electric two-wheeler, in the project called LiveWire. This project was under development for many years and is more refined and evolved. With the electric two-wheeler, the future of Harley Davidson will completely be changed as Harley is known for its Thunderous exhaust note and that will replace by a silent whirring of the electric motor.
Based on an exposed frame, the LiveWire is a futuristic model. It will be equipped with LED headlights and taillights and an all-digital instrument console. As compared to Harley’s traditional riding position the bike will be sportier in posture. In order to transmit propelling power to the LiveWire, there is a three-phase induction motor that generates 75PS of power and 71 Nm of torque. With this project, the problem Harley witnessed so far is the travelled distance. Reportedly, the earlier test mules were able to cover a distance of 80 km in a single charge. Now with the time passed, it is being expected that the company has overcome this issue.
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As the future of electric mobility is inevitable, other bike makers are also seeking scope to refine its range of electric vehicles. They are Yamaha and Ducati respectively from Japan and Italy.