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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Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has poached a key Tesla manufacturing leader to build its electric pickup truck factory in Indiana.
Napoleon Reyes is a US Marine from Indiana who got a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue after leaving the force.
He then worked a few years at Subaru and Wabash before joining Tesla’s manufacturing team at the Fremont Factory in 2020.
There, he became part of the Model Y production ramp and was quickly promoted to lead the Model Y General Assembly in Fremont in 2022.
Reyes led Model Y GA, one of the most critical parts of vehicle manufacturing, for more than a year before being promoted again to lead new pilot processes at the factory.
Most recently, he led the launch of the general assembly line for the Model Y refresh.
The new engineering manager announced this week that he is leaving Tesla to join Slate:
A bit late on the post but after nearly 5 years working at Tesla in Fremont, I made the difficult decision to leave the Company and move closer to home with my family. It was an incredible experience being part of multiple line expansions and multiple Model Y program launches. Leading and managing the Model Y Refresh launch for GA in Fremont this year tested me professionally however we ultimately succeeded due to our amazing cross functional team collaboration. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with such great people, and I will forever be proud and thankful for everything we accomplished together.
I will be taking on a new role as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering at Slate Auto in Warsaw, In.
Slate emerged from stealth mode earlier this year to unveil a new type of electric pickup truck featuring modular customization and an affordable price.
The company raised over $700 million through two rounds of investments from several different investors, including Jeff Bezos. It is currently raising more, which basically guarantees that it will be able to reach production.
The startup acquired a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana. It is currently converting to manufacture its electric pickup with a team from legacy automakers and also several former engineers and leaders from Tesla.
Rich Schmidt, an early Tesla manufacturing director, is the head of manufacturing.
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Genesis is preparing to shake things up with its most luxurious SUV yet, the GV90. Thanks to a new patent filing, we are getting a detailed look at how its Rolls-Royce-style coach doors will work.
New patent reveals Genesis GV90 coach door system
When Genesis first unveiled the full-size SUV at the NY Auto Show last March, it wasn’t the stunning design or advanced tech that caught everyone’s attention. It was the coach doors.
Although we were worried it wouldn’t make it to the production model, like many concepts, the Genesis GV90 will be offered with coach doors.
The ultra-luxe electric SUV was first caught with coach doors earlier this year on a car carrier in South Korea. Just last month, the GV90 was spotted in California with a hinge at the rear to open the coach doors.
After several new patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new door latching devices, we are getting a sneak peek at how they are expected to work.
The patents, titled “Cinching Device For Door Latches in Vehicle,” and “Door Latch Device for Vehicles,” give a pretty detailed explanation of how the Genesis GV90’s coach doors will operate. The “Door Latch Device” uses a door striker on the lower side of the door, which is opened or closed by a hinge unit.
Unlike traditional doors, which use the B-pillar for support, the device is attached directly to the door itself, allowing for hinge-like movement.
The cinching device works in a similar way. It’s also attached to the door and part of the vehicle. However, unlike most of its kind, Genesis found a way to use a single cinching device to control multiple units. Again, the device is used for B-pillarless doors that swing open.
Genesis already said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles. The patent reveals a glimpse into how the luxury automaker could make it a reality.
Although the Genesis GV90 is expected to be offered with coach doors, they will likely not be standard. Other variants, with traditional door handles, have also been spotted testing in the US and South Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. It will be built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The flagship Genesis SUV is scheduled to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform, which the company said will “provide 50% improvement in driving range.” It will also be loaded with the latest technology, software, connectivity, and Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities.
Source: USPTO
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more
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 launch of the Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more.
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After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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