Nine years after Project LiveWire was announced in 2014, finally, this time the Harley EV is set to be introduced in Japan. A new model, the S2 DEL MAR, has also been launched in the US, and it is likely that two models will be available in Japan.
LiveWire, an EV manufacturer spun off from Harley
In December 2020, Harley-Davidson officially announced the launch of LiveWire electric motorcycles in Japan, but the reason they were not introduced until May 2021 is said to be due to the launch of a new company, LiveWire, independent of Harley, which takes the name of the vehicle itself as its corporate name.
The company aims to lead the world as a brand specializing in EVs like Tesla. In December of the same year, the company announced its IPO and partnered with Taiwan's Kimco.
At that time, the company also announced plans to release the S2 Delmar, which will follow the LiveWire One, and the S3, a scaled-down version of the LiveWire One.
The S2 Del Mar, LiveWire's second EV, was just launched in the US in July 2023. Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Heim wants to promote the spread of electric motorcycles. He has said that the company will enter the Japanese market at an early stage, and its introduction in Japan is a certainty.
Perhaps in response to the full-scale rollout of LiveWire, an "Electric Sports & Motorcycles" section has already opened on Harley-Davidson's Japanese website. The LiveWire One and S2 Del Mar are listed, indicating that preparations are underway for their launch.
S2 DEL MAR [LIVEWIRE] A production version of the dirt track machine-like EV that was in the More Roads strategy presented in 2018. With a top speed of 165 km/h and an output of 84 hp, the specs seem to correspond to the middle class.
The S2 Del Mar has an upright riding position that suits city riding. The published charging time from 20 to 80% is 5.9 hours on a 110V household power supply and 78 minutes on a public quick charge.
Jochen Heim, CEO of Harley-Davidson, who visited Japan on June 16, 2023, had stated that LiveWire would be introduced to Japan. Incidentally, HD is the largest shareholder of LiveWire.
Electric Sports & Motorcycles section on the official Harley-Davidson Japanese website. The release date and price of the EV2 vehicle are unknown. It appears that the "SERIAL 1" (Serial One) Harley-style bike=bicycle will also be listed on the site.
