Harley-Davidson
LiveWire Project
The
Harley-Davidson LiveWire is an electric motorcycle prototype and
Harley-Davidson's first electric vehicle. It was displayed to the media in
June, 2014. Prototypes will be made available for public test rides at United
States Harley dealerships in 2014, then Europe and Canada in 2015. Harley CEO
Keith Wandell said the model was part of an effort to reach a more diverse
group of riders including "18 to 35-year-olds, women, African-Americans
and Hispanic riders".
The
new electric motorcycle was called "the most radical departure in the
111-year history of the brand" by a Fox Sports commentator. Other industry
observers see the development of the LiveWire, and the potential development of
an electric product or product line, as part of a shift towards "people
who might not ordinarily be drawn to Harley's traditional loud, heavy,
expensive motorcycles" and "the product of a painful corporate revolution
long in the making" as Harley brings out new technology and reaches out
for a wider customer base.
The
Hollywood Reporter said that an electric Harley-Davidson could become a status
symbol like the Tesla Model S, and noted that the new Harley had been placed in
Avengers: Age of Ultron. Road & Track posted spy shots from the set, and
reported that Harley would gauge the reception by the film's audience as a sort
of global market test of the product concept.
Powersports
Business reported that initial customer reactions to test rides in New York in
late June, 2014 were "overwhelmingly positive" but also noted some
negative reactions to the tuning of the regenerative braking system.
Unusually
for an electric motorcycle (and perhaps uniquely), the motor is mounted
longitudinally, under the frame. A bevel gear changes the direction of rotation
90° to drive a gilmer belt that turns the rear wheel. The same bevel gear gives
the drivetrain a unique whirring sound, compared to the sound of a jet turbine,
or as a writer for The Verge said, "like an oversized vacuum".
According
to Wired magazine, Mission Motors provided technical assistance on the motor
controller.
Technical
specifications include:
- Cast aluminum frame and swingarm
- LED headlight
- TFT dashboard
- Longitudinal three-phase AC motor/bevel gear/belt drive
- 74 horsepower and 52 pound-feet
- Electronically limited to 95 mph
- Single disc, 2-piston front brake
- 460 lbs
- 7 kWh battery (estimated)
- 17-inch rear wheel, 18-inch front
- trellis frame
- direct drive powertrain
- 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds (claimed)