HARLEY TAKES ELECTRIC SERIOUSLY
Debuted in 2014, Project
LiveWire didn’t go into pro-
duction, but the new bike is
being developed from it
A
t the start of March Harley Davidson
announced an equity investment in Alta
Motors, a leader in lightweight electric
vehicles, and that the two companies are
to work together on electric motorcycle
technology and product development.
“Earlier this year, as part of our 10-year
strategy, we reiterated our commitment to
build the next generation of Harley-Davidson
riders, in part, by aggressively investing in
electric vehicle (EV) technology,” said Harley-
Davidson President and CEO Matt Levatich.
“Alta has demonstrated innovation and expertise
in EV and their objectives align closely with ours.
We each have strengths and capabilities that will
be mutually beneficial as we work together to
develop cutting-edge electric motorcycles.
“Riders are just beginning to understand the
combined benefits of EV today, and our technology
14 KIWI RIDER
continues to progress,” said Alta Motors Chief
Product Officer and Co-Founder, Marc Fenigstein.
“We believe electric motorcycles are the
future, and that American companies have an
opportunity to lead that future. It’s incredibly
exciting that Harley-Davidson, synonymous
with motorcycle leadership, shares that vision
and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them.”
You might remember Harley’s Project LiveWire
in 2014 when Harley demo’ed its first electric
bike concept across the USA and select markets
worldwide. The editor rode the bike briefly and had
good things to say but did describe the experience
as very different to riding a conventional machine,
akin to something out of a Tron movie. Project
LiveWire didn’t make it into production at the time,
however, Harley has announced its first production
machine will be released in 2019, which will be
built from lessons learnt from Project LiveWire.