US motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has unveiled its first electric motorcycle at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2019) at Las Vegas. The bike is equipped with Samsung SDI Co's battery pack and the launch of LiveWire was confirmed by Samsung itself.
Harley-Davidson and Samsung had been working together for the past four years to develop a new electric motorcycle targeting tech-savvy, premium consumers.
Samsung SDI developed lithium ion cells for the bike. It is expected that in a single charge LiveWire would run 180 km; and it would take just three-and-a-half seconds to reach 100 kmph from standstill.
During its first display itself, Harley-Davidson has started receiving bookings for LiveWire. A website has been specially set up to receive bookings. With delivery expected by August, LiveWire has a price tag of $29,799 (approximately Rs 20.96 lakh).
LiveWire could make its India entry next year; but with the import duty and other taxes, the price could be much higher.
Apart from LiveWire, Harley-Davidson has also displayed prototypes of two other electric bikes at the show. These are likely to be launched by 2022.
At the same time, Harley-Davidson has not revealed the specifications of LiveWire. Details like the battery capacity, power generated and the weight of the bike are still under wraps. It requires no gears or clutch.
The bike features a permanent magnet electric motor and a rechargeable energy storage system, or the main battery, composed of lithium-ion cells surrounded by a finned, cast-aluminium housing. There is a 12-volt lithium ion battery for lights, horn and display.
