Harley-Davidson's electric motorcycle programme is very much alive and kicking and the company is in the process of launching a full-fledged electric motorcycle sometime by the second half of 2019. Peter Mackenzie, Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India and China has confirmed that the Project LiveWire electric cruiser which was showcased in 2014 is very much alive and kicking and is in fact developing into a full-fledged production motorcycle. Recent reports indicate that Harley-Davidson has filed a trademark application to use the name "H-D Revelation" for its upcoming electric motorcycle technology.
The concept electric Harley-Davidson bike was also used in the movie, Avengers:Age of Ultron
Also Read: Harley-Davidson Trademarks 'H-D Revelation' Name
The first electric Harley-Davidson will certainly be rolled out next year, but it's still not clear whether the bike will be introduced in India anytime soon. From all indications, Harley-Davidson is still evaluating which markets will be prepared to support electric vehicles. Of course, the success of a true blue American cruiser with an electric powertrain will also depend on the infrastructure for EVs, including charging stations and availability of components in those markets.
"In about 18 months, we should be able to bring EV technology into the market. I guess the only caveat is that we need to evaluate what countries have the required infrastructure to support proper EV technology. There would be nothing worse than bringing in EV technology but not have the infrastructure to support it, and then it doesn't get off to a good start. So I'm very sure that whoever is in the EV space today is eagerly awaiting the infrastructure plans. In 18 months yes, we will have an electric platform ready but I can't speculate now on which markets," said Mackenzie.
Harley-Davidson Project LiveWire
It's no secret that Harley-Davidson has been working on electric technology for some time now. Harley-Davidson's electric cruiser concept, the Project LiveWire was first showcased in 2014, and the company even offered test rides of the LiveWire to gauge reaction to the electric cruiser concept. In 2015, a Harley-Davidson LiveWire was even used in the Hollywood film "Avengers: Age of Ultron". The Milwaukee-headquartered manufacturer of American cruiser motorcycles is one of the first big motorcycle companies to commit to a production electric motorcycle. So far, only Austrian brand KTM has introduced an electric version of an off-road motorcycle, the KTM Freeride E-XC.
