Electric Cars? Really, Harley​

Harley-Davidson is really, really serious about getting into the electric vehicle thing. I’ve said before that it seems to have a plan for the electrified future, but maybe I misjudged the scope of that plan. The company is now a sponsor of a Formula E team.

Yep. Open wheel car racing. Marc McAllister, VP of product consumer portfolio with HD, said that he’s really excited to announce the partnership with Envision Virgin Racing Formula E team.

“We’re making a three-year commitment with Envision Virgin Racing to support their team, and it mirrors their technology and passion about EV sports with our commitment and passions for the EV motorcycling space,” said McAllister. He goes on to say that Harley wants to lead the electrification of motorcycles.

That’s an interesting idea, but if that’s the case, Harley has some catching up to do. It’s competition for Energica, Zero Motorcycles, and Lightning already outpaces Harley’s flagship electric machine, the LiveWire.

Sylvain Filippi, managing director and CTO of Envision Virgin Racing, said that the team is excited to show what an electric vehicle can do. “So far we’ve been doing it on four wheels, but we cannot wait to do the same on two wheels,” he said.

The implications for this are big. It could be the start of a big push for Harley in electric motorcycle racing. That’s something I would personally love to see.

The sponsorship of a Formula E team may seem kind of odd. However, it could ultimately work out well for the company, depending on what Harley plans to do with this connection. As Harley continues to expand in the electric motorcycle space, I’m sure we’ll see more sponsorships and partnerships like this. I hope that means better, and more affordable electric bikes in the future.


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