In the bio-fuel vs electricity war, Harley-Davidson has always made its stand pretty clear. It has sided with the latter for years and even became one of the first namesake bikemakers to introduce a dedicated EV initiative (LiveWire). All didn’t go to plan, though, as its first EV failed to do the expected numbers and we’re yet to see any other electric Harley reach dealerships. So is H-D ready to explore other options barring EVs? Well, it looks so, as the company bossman reveals his take on the current scenario.
Harley-Davidson CEO Sheds Light On Complexities Of Electric Motorcycles
In an interview with our friends at MCN, Jochen Zeitz (Chairman, President, and CEO of Harley-Davidson) discussed the complexities of electric motorcycles. According to him, space is a big issue on E-motorcycles which leaves H-D designers and engineers hamstrung. This makes cramming the technology, battery pack, and powertrain a problematic affair. In turn, it limits the fast charging and range figures.
He feels “Cars are relatively easy in comparison, but with motorcycles you only have two wheels, and you have less space to cram all that technology into a little battery and powertrain and then still charge it fast and go far.” This somewhat shows in the company’s EV lineup too. For instance, the flagship LiveWire One has a claimed highway range of just 70 miles (95 miles with city plus freeway) while the S2 Del Mar has a claimed 110-mile city range.
What Does Harley-Davidson Think Of Bio Fuels?
With that out of the way, the top honcho talked about the other alternatives, saying there’s no specified path for the motorcycle industry. The gasoline infrastructure is massive and readily available, so leveraging that could be key in the long term. On the flip side, the two-wheeler EV industry still needs plenty of investment for a similar electric infrastructure.
“You can only invest in so many technologies and infrastructure, it’s a huge investment. You have an existing infrastructure with fuel so if there was an opportunity to leverage that long term… there might be something to complement electric power.” he said.
However, his most interesting comment came at the very end – “From my perspective, we’ve made our decision (with EVs) but we’re not ruling anything out especially if there is a way to use the combustion engine.” This subtly hints H-D hasn’t discarded the idea of internal combustion engines just yet. Instead, it’s probably running tests to come up with a feasible alternative to gasoline.
What happens to LiveWire then, you ask? Well, we think it’ll continue to operate separately since there’s clearly a market for EVs. Not to mention, Zeitz previously claimed going full EV is a “natural progression” for the Milwaukee bikemaker.
So what’s your take on the CEO’s latest statements? Would you look forward to a Harley cruiser that runs on bio-fuel? Jot down your thoughts below.