On Thursday Harley-Davidson unveiled Project LiveWire, a nationwide tour to introduce company’s first all-electric motorcycle.
LiveWire is a prototype, to be precise, with few specs beyond a 0-60 in fewer than four seconds and no word on if and when it’ll be a real product. Still, the legendary American company’s entry legitimises this fledgling part of the industry, in the same way that BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s new electric vehicles lend some cachet to the market.
The buzz started Wednesday, with an enigmatic video on YouTube. It’s a cool, misty morning. The camera pans slowly over an empty strip of asphalt surrounded by grassy fields, then past an old, tin Route 66 sign. Suddenly a motorcyclist flashes by – blink and you’ll miss it – and that sound, what was that sound? Not the hawg’s classic growl, but a higher-pitched, jet engine scream that wouldn’t be out of place in the movie Tron: Legacy.
This is a dramatic, if necessary step for the classic American motorcycle company. It thrived on the Baby Boomer generation’s lust for the open road. But gas-guzzling is going out of style, and all-electric startups like Zero and Brammo have been the first to gain traction (however small) in the motorcycle space.
Still, the electric motorcycle faces the same challenges as the electric car: The limited range of battery-powered vehicles, plus the weight and cost of those batteries. The LiveWire prototype may let Harley join the conversation, but will it have as much to say as Tesla, which has led innovation in the car space? We’ll see. You might think automotive enthusiasts get crazy about their cars, but motorcyclists love their rides even more fiercely.
Harley-Davidson clearly knows this and is taking its story directly to the people. “The Project LiveWire Experience begins a 30-city tour across America starting 24 June in New York City,” the company said in a statement. “Riders will be invited to take a historic ride.”
The tour dates revealed so far consist of two- to three-day stints at Harley dealerships in major East Coast cities. It starts 24 June in New York City and moves on to Boston 27 June. The third will be in Philadelphia, starting 17 July. Harley-Davidson promised to reveal a full schedule next week.
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