H-D going electric “within 18 months”
The company’s first electric prototype appeared in 2014, and now a production form is just about realityHarley-Davidson has announced it will release its first electric motorcycle “within 18 months”.
There’s been no word from the Motor Company on whether the bike will be based on the LiveWire project, of which Bikesales tested, or whether it will an all-new endeavour.
Matt Levatich, president and chief executive officer of 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. As we expand our EV capabilities and commitment, we get even more excited about the role electric motorcycles will play in growing our business.”
The electric announcement was made on the same day as the company released its fourth quarter and year-end results for 2017.
Net profit plummeted in the fourth quarter, and across the year it fell to $US521.8 million from $US692.2 million in 2016, based on consolidated revenues of $US5.65 billion.
In light of the current climate, the company also announced that it would be closing its assembly plant in Kansas City, Missouri as part of a “multi-year manufacturing optimisation initiative”. Assembly will now be consolidated into its plant in York, Pennsylvania.
"The decision to consolidate our final assembly plants was made after very careful consideration of our manufacturing footprint and the appropriate capacity given the current business environment. Our Kansas City assembly operations will leave a legacy of safety, quality, collaboration and manufacturing leadership," said Levatich.
The LiveWire project wasn’t just a single machine – Harley-Davidson made a large number of prototypes to test the waters, and they were ridden far and wide.
The build quality was excellent, but the bike didn’t make it to market. Since then, a number of manufacturers such as Zero have improved their electric bike offerings dramatically in terms of chassis, performance, output and range, so the pressure is certainly going to be on Harley-Davidson to hit the market with an exceptional machine.
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