Harley-Davidson has access to $89 million in a government competitiveness subsidy. The goal is to help the manufacturer realize the necessary investments to produce more environmentally-friendly emission-neutral models.
The funding comes from the US Department of Energy through the Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grant program. With this support, Harley-Davidson will adjust and increase the production of some electric motorcycles – including the LiveWire brand, which has a fully American supply chain.
In a statement, US Senator Bob Casey emphasized: ‘In a world where the demand for electric vehicles is only growing, we have an obligation to ensure that American manufacturers can compete on an international stage. Harley-Davidson is one of America’s most iconic manufacturers, and this funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will ensure that it will be able to continue leading the global market in the coming years and decades’.
Earlier this year, the same senator had sent a letter to the Department of Energy in support of Harley-Davidson’s application for this funding in order to ‘increase its capacity to continue leading the industry in the manufacture of electric motorcycles‘. At the time, he highlighted the manufacturer’s ‘significant investments‘ to develop a ‘comprehensive program to lead the global market for electric motorcycles‘, starting production in 2019 through the LiveWire.
