Harley-Davidson’s upcoming LiveWire electric motorcycle delayed until later this year
Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle brand LiveWire has a new e-motorcycle coming out this year, but the S2 Del Mar’s early 2023 launch has now been delayed to later this year.
The new LiveWire S2 Del Mar electric motorcycle was expected to ship as many as 7,000 units in 2023, but that estimate has been revised down to somewhere between 750 to 2,000 due to the delayed “second half of 2023” release.
LiveWire S2 Del Mar delayed
The LiveWire S2 is still expected to sell in much higher volume than the company’s existing LiveWire One electric motorcycle. The bike’s higher estimated demand is due to a lower selling price than the LiveWire One ($16,999 vs $22,700) and a larger appeal to younger, more urban riders.
The LiveWire One has proven to be a successful halo vehicle for LiveWire based on its rave reviews and high performance. However, it hasn’t reached the same level of commercial success due to its lower sales volume. The bike sold just 597 units in 2022, though that figure actually exceeded management’s predictions of 500 units, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Those 597 LiveWire One motorcycles brought in around $14M in revenue last year. Interesting, Harley-Davidson’s StaCyc electric balance bikes for kids accounts for more than twice the revenue from the LiveWire One, with a reported $33M in sales last year. Even so, LiveWire is still operating at a significant net loss while the company invests heavily in R&D of its upcoming models as well as brings in new industry talent to the young brand.
Electric motorcycles have yet to near a critical mass rate of adoption similar to electric cars, despite the many advantages of the high performance, low maintenance electric drivetrains used in e-motos.
Notwithstanding the low initial sales volume, Harley-Davidson isn’t discounting electric motorcycles. To the contrary, the company’s CEO Jochen Zeitz recently confirmed that he sees Harley’s future becoming all-electric at some point, though indicated that such a transformation will of course take many years.
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar is expected to be the first step in that transition, despite its delayed roll-out to later this year.
The new model is targeting a power rating of around 80 horsepower (60 kW) and a city range of approximately 100 miles (160 km). The bike’s 0-60 mph time of around 3.1 seconds shows just how potent an electric drivetrain can be, offering urban riders a high performance bike that can handle commuting or pleasure rides – though just not too far on the latter.
Level 2 recharging is said to top up the battery from 20-80% in 75 minutes, though that is a far cry from the nearly 30-minute charge with the LiveWire One’s DC Fast Charging.
Electrek’s Take
So here’s the thing: At this point I figure I’m one of the few people outside of Harley’s own team that has actually ridden both a LiveWire One and a LiveWire S2 Del Mar. Having tested both (see video below), I can tell you that the Del Mar is exactly what most people who liked the LiveWire One in theory truly wanted – keep the awesome performance, but drop the price.
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar offers the same type of thrilling ride as the LiveWire One, but in a slightly smaller and more approachable package. It’s also even more comfortable (in my opinion) since the reach is shorter thanks to the shorter battery pack.
The Achilles’ heel is the somewhat lower capacity battery. LiveWire hasn’t released details yet, but based on my experience with the bike and some back of the envelope math, I’m guessing the Del Mar’s battery lands in the 9.5 to 10 kWh range. Compared to the LiveWire One’s 15.5 kWh battery, that’s going to rain on a few people’s canyon carving parades. But considering that the target market is more focused on people like me – 33-year-old dudes that live in cities and just want a fun, aggressive-looking (and feeling) ride – I still think that 100 miles of range is plenty.
Consider that electric scooters with 40-60 miles of range sell like hotcakes, so that range is perfectly fine for many people. But for those that want something that looks and feels like more than just a scooter, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar does it. The price is still a bit high for a lot of new riders, but $16,999 is starting to get dangerously close to the range that can tempt many people into electric. Certainly more so than the original Harley-Davidson LiveWire’s launch price of $29,799.
This is progress, and we’re all watching it happen in real time. Imagine where we’ll be in another 24 months.
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Wind energy powered 20% of all electricity consumed in Europe (19% in the EU) in 2024, and the EU has set a goal to grow this share to 34% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050.
To stay on track, the EU needs to install 30 GW of new wind farms annually, but it only managed 13 GW in 2024 – 11.4 GW onshore and 1.4 GW offshore. This is what’s holding the EU back from achieving its wind growth goals.
Three big problems holding Europe’s wind power back
Europe’s wind power growth is stalling for three key reasons:
Permitting delays. Many governments haven’t implemented the EU’s new permitting rules, making it harder for projects to move forward.
Grid connection bottlenecks. Over 500 GW(!) of potential wind capacity is stuck in grid connection queues.
Slow electrification. Europe’s economy isn’t electrifying fast enough to drive demand for more renewable energy.
Brussels-based trade association WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson summed it up: “The EU must urgently tackle all three problems. More wind means cheaper power, which means increased competitiveness.”
Permitting: Germany sets the standard
Permitting remains a massive roadblock, despite new EU rules aimed at streamlining the process. In fact, the situation worsened in 2024 in many countries. The bright spot? Germany. By embracing the EU’s permitting rules — with measures like binding deadlines and treating wind energy as a public interest priority — Germany approved a record 15 GW of new onshore wind in 2024. That’s seven times more than five years ago.
If other governments follow Germany’s lead, Europe could unlock the full potential of wind energy and bolster energy security.
Grid connections: a growing crisis
Access to the electricity grid is now the biggest obstacle to deploying wind energy. And it’s not just about long queues — Europe’s grid infrastructure isn’t expanding fast enough to keep up with demand. A glaring example is Germany’s 900-megawatt (MW) Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm. The turbines are ready to go, but the grid connection won’t be in place until 2026.
This issue isn’t isolated. Governments need to accelerate grid expansion if they’re serious about meeting renewable energy targets.
Electrification: falling behind
Wind energy’s growth is also tied to how quickly Europe electrifies its economy. Right now, electricity accounts for just 23% of the EU’s total energy consumption. That needs to jump to 61% by 2050 to align with climate goals. However, electrification efforts in key sectors like transportation, heating, and industry are moving too slowly.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has tasked Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen with crafting an Electrification Action Plan. That can’t come soon enough.
More wind farms awarded, but challenges persist
On a positive note, governments across Europe awarded a record 37 GW of new wind capacity (29 GW in the EU) in 2024. But without faster permitting, better grid connections, and increased electrification, these awards won’t translate into the clean energy-producing wind farms Europe desperately needs.
Investments and corporate interest
Investments in wind energy totaled €31 billion in 2024, financing 19 GW of new capacity. While onshore wind investments remained strong at €24 billion, offshore wind funding saw a dip. Final investment decisions for offshore projects remain challenging due to slow permitting and grid delays.
Corporate consumers continue to show strong interest in wind energy. Half of all electricity contracted under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in 2024 was wind. Dedicated wind PPAs were 4 GW out of a total of 12 GW of renewable PPAs.
Read more: Renewables could meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030 – IEA
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the official unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y, Mazda 6e, Aptera solar car production-intent, and more.
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The Chinese EV leader is launching a new flagship electric sedan. BYD’s new Han L EV leaked in China on Friday, revealing a potential Tesla Model S Plaid challenger.
What we know about the BYD Han L EV so far
We knew it was coming soon after BYD teased the Han L on social media a few days ago. Now, we are learning more about what to expect.
BYD’s new electric sedan appeared in China’s latest Ministry of Industry and Information Tech (MIIT) filing, a catalog of new vehicles that will soon be sold.
The filing revealed four versions, including two EV and two PHEV models. The Han L EV will be available in single- and dual-motor configurations. With a peak power of 580 kW (777 hp), the single-motor model packs more power than expected.
BYD’s dual-motor Han L gains an additional 230 kW (308 hp) front-mounted motor. As CnEVPost pointed out, the vehicle’s back has a “2.7S” badge, which suggests a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) sprint time of just 2.7 seconds.
To put that into perspective, the Tesla Model S Plaid can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 2.1 seconds. In China, the Model S Plaid starts at RBM 814,900, or over $110,000. Speaking of Tesla, the EV leader just unveiled its highly anticipated Model Y “Juniper” refresh in China on Thursday. It starts at RMB 263,500 ($36,000).
BYD already sells the Han EV in China, starting at around RMB 200,000. However, the single front motor, with a peak power of 180 kW, is much less potent than the “L” model. The Han EV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
At 5,050 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,505 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,970 mm, BYD’s new Han L is roughly the size of the Model Y (4,970 mm long, 1,964 mm wide, 1,445 mm tall, wheelbase of 2,960 mm).
Other than that it will use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack from BYD’s FinDreams unit, no other battery specs were revealed. Check back soon for the full rundown.
Source: CnEVPost, China MIIT
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