Harley LiveWire to cost $50K if sold today

Harley’s President and CEO, Matt Leviatch rolled into a meeting room at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council’s annual conference last week, to talk about the company’s first foray into electric bikes.

Leviatch described the LiveWire project as being one piece of the Milwaukee motorcycle manufacturer’s stepped-up focus in recent years on sustainability and reducing its environmental footprint.

According to him, if launched now, the H-D LiveWire would cost $50,000 or about Rs 30 lakh, twice what people would pay – and only delivering around 50 miles of range – half of what consumers want.

The bike, first announced and unveiled in June, has generated a lot of interest and strong positive feedback from those who have ridden it. But right now it’s just too expensive and too limited in its range to be ready for the marketplace.

The company says it’s serious about reducing its carbon footprint, and having a product like the LiveWire gave the company a voice in talks with battery technology companies like Samsung and Johnson Controls.

Harley hasn’t said when the LiveWire will go on sale. When it does, the product will be more of an urban motorcycle than a long distance cruiser, the likes of which are used to go to the annual rally in Sturgis, Leviatch added.