A new interview between Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz and MCN has shone light on Harley-Davidson’s future.
Spoiler alert: Everybody needs a plan B, and bio-fuels ain’t looking half so bad at the moment.
Contrary to popular belief, Zeitz isn’t just gunning for an electric future. According to the Chairman of LiveWire (Zeitz), making electric bikes that go both fast and far is brutally hard.
“… with motorcycles, you only have two wheels, and you have less space to cram all that technology into a little battery and powertrain… and then still charge it fast and go far,” explains Zeitz in the coverage.
The fact that design teams are “hamstrung” by the above conundrum is a given… but what of bio-fuels and e-fuels?
“… if there was an opportunity to leverage [an existing infrastructure with fuel] long term… there might be something to complement electric power,” Zeitz admits.
The admittance comes with uncertainty; with so much funds invested in the creation of LiveWire, Harley’s primary choice is electrification… but you always need a plan B, right?
“There might be a shortage in precious metals [or] whatever, and then recycling comes into play, so you don’t want to close the door on anything yet,” finishes Zeotz.
“From my perspective, we’ve made our decision [to invest in electric] but we’re not ruling anything out – especially if there is a way to use the combustion engine.”