KYMCO, a leading Taiwanese scooter maker, has just announced the next step in its growing partnership with US-based electric motorcycle company LiveWire. The long-awaited KYMCO RevoNEX electric motorcycle will now be built on the Arrow S2 platform developed by LiveWire.

The pair of companies showed off the latest design for the RevoNEX electric motorcycle in a joint announcement at the 2024 EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show, with KYMCO Chairman Allen Ko riding the motorcycle out to the center stage in a dramatic unveiling.

The RevoNEX has been years in the making and undergone several key design updates on its circuitous path from concept to hopeful production. While previous versions have skewed much further in the direction of concept bikes, KYMCO’s partnership with LiveWire has allowed the RevoNEX to be reworked on top of an existing motorcycle platform already in serial production.

LiveWire uses the S2 Arrow platform for its Del Mar and Mulholland electric motorcycles, with the platform specifically designed as a versatile foundation that would allow a multitude of options for various motorbikes. Now one of those options will be under the KYMCO badge with a unique styling unlike anything we likely would have seen from LiveWire.

“Every detail of the new RevoNEX has been meticulously crafted to bring riders the most unique electric riding experience,” said KYMCO Chairman Allen Ko. “And we are determined to bring the new RevoNEX to consumers in the shortest time.”

When I pressed Mr. Ko on that timeframe, he explained that their target is to follow shortly behind LiveWire’s intended launch of its upcoming Arrow S2-based electric maxi-scooter built in collaboration with KYMCO, which is slated for the first half of 2026. Ko added that he hopes the RevoNEX will be ready to launch by the second half of 2026.

This marks the best chance for KYMCO’s RevoNEX to land on a path to production and further underscores the growing relationship between the Taiwanese scooter giant and the American electric motorcycle maker.

While there’s still plenty of time to wait before a potential RevoNEX production version unveiling and eventual commencement of manufacturing, the future certainly appears bright now that KYMCO has selected an advanced platform that could help realize RevoNEX’s long-awaited vision in a realistic timeline.

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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle company spun out of Harley-Davidson, is flexing the versatility of the company’s S2 Arrow powertrain with the unveiling of an electric maxi scooter.

A maxi-scooter is a type of large, powerful scooter designed for comfortable riding. Unlike traditional urban-oriented scooters, maxi-scooters typically have more powerful motors that make them suitable for highway travel. They tend to feature a more robust frame, larger wheels, and extra storage space, along with more premium amenities such as windshields, comfortable seating, and often more advanced tech features. LiveWire is likely to lean into all of those opportunities by leveraging its existing electric motorcycle S2 Arrow powertrain for the new design.

The S2 Arrow powertrain was first unveiled during the launch of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. The powertrain includes the structural battery, electric motor, and the associated control hardware. LiveWire demonstrated the platform’s flexibility by quickly launching a second model, the S2 Mulholland, on the platform.

Now LiveWire is making a major leap to fully realize the platform’s broad appeal for designing diverse models, using it as the backbone for its upcoming electric maxi-scooter slated for launch in the first half of 2026.

With the success of electric maxi-scooters like the BMW CE-04, LiveWire has surely been looking closely at how the segment could leverage the performance of its versatile e-motorcycle platform.

LiveWire won’t rely only on its own platform to bring the electric maxi-scooter to market, but also on the expertise of KYMCO, a leading Taiwanese scooter company that has long dominated the market with its wide range of scooters, both gasoline and electric-powered.

“LiveWire is an iconic leader in electric solutions for urban mobility, explained KYMCO Chairman Allen Ko. “We are excited to partner with them as LiveWire embarks on the development of a S2-based electric maxi-scooter.”

KYMCO became an early investor in LiveWire and the two companies are now strengthening their relationship with increased collaboration on multiple electric motorbike models.

“The collaboration has been very smooth,” said LiveWire CEO Karim Donnez in an interview with Electrek. “We’ve found the KYMCO team very easy to work with.”

Donnez explained that the two companies have continued to strengthen their work together, with the hemispheric separation between them allowing the unique opportunity for nearly 24-hour progress. Plans are in the works for a geographic exchange of employees to further integrate the teams and allow more seamless collaboration between the two companies.

And the fruits of that cooperation are already showing with the unveiling of the updated KYMCO RevoNEX electric motorcycle, which has been redesigned based on the S2 Arrow platform. Assuming LiveWire’s electric maxi-scooter makes it to market first, the RevoNEX would become the fourth model launched on LiveWire’s S2 Arrow foundation.

Early responses have been largely positive to LiveWire’s release of concept images of its upcoming electric maxi-scooter on social media.

LiveWire’s branding and marketing has always sought to distinguish itself from the brand’s Harley-Davidson roots, allowing the young motorcycle company to emerge from behind H-D’s shadow and largely do its own thing, focusing on a different type of rider with distinct demands and desires.

The inclusion of a powerful electric maxi-scooter in the lineup is likely to help underscore that independence, with LiveWire continuing to focus on a younger, more urban audience that increasingly sees two-wheelers less as an identity and more as a lifestyle, merging fun riding with utilitarian commuting.

It’s of course far too early to tell how the bikes will ultimately be received. We’ve yet to see LiveWire’s electric maxi-scooter concepts in the flesh, indicating there’s likely still some significant design time left in the development cycle. But one thing is already for certain: LiveWire is increasingly doing its own thing and the company wouldn’t have it any other way.