I’ve talked about LiveWire’s latest patent for “virtual brakes” and how I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. But what I didn’t get a chance to talk about, at least in that article, was the three included designs that seem to show a concept of an e-bike/e-dirtbike long forgotten.
The year is 2018 and LiveWire is still part of Harley-Davidson’s main portfolio. But in a forward-looking statement made by the company, they released design sketches, concepts, and what appeared to be customer-ready models, including an electric motorcycle/bicycle.
Harley-Davidson separated from LiveWire and we never heard about these concepts again. That is until their recent patent, which seems to show the said electric vehicle.
I mean, it’s clearly the same design. The same bicycle-like frame, the same suspension setup, the same finned battery. What we don’t know, however, is why LiveWire decided to use this old concept for one of their new patents.
Companies use strange designs or old concepts all the time to hide future products from curious eyes. But why didn’t LiveWire just use the Del Mar or Mulholland designs? Why unearth this long-forgotten EV dirtbike/bicycle concept from when the future was bright and LiveWire was very promising?
These questions lead me to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, this design could be used by the brand in the near future. Honestly, it’s no secret that LiveWire is struggling. And their offerings are quite expensive. An easy way to make some quick money would be to produce something like an electric bike or something similar to a Dust.Moto or Surron.
It wouldn’t save the company, but it would help a lot in reducing the negative income.
