Harley-Davidson LiveWire
The Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle was officially unveiled in January 2019 at CES. A lot of marketing hype surrounded the unveiling of the motorcycle with claims of it being the start of “a new focus for the brand that would inspire the next generation of riders.”
Then yesterday, Reuters broke the news that Harley-Davidson had stopped production and delivery (temporarily) of the LiveWire electric motorcycles, after discovering an issue related to the vehicle’s charging equipment. It was reported that the company discovered a “non-standard” condition during the final quality checks of LiveWire, which it already started shipping to dealers in late September. There were glitches found in the product which has prompted additional testing and analysis.
Interestingly, Webster defines glitches “as a sudden, usually temporary malfunction or irregularity of equipment.” A glitch like this is not something riders want in a $30,000 purchase!
The LiveWire motorcycle uses a Combined Charging System (CCS), which is a single connector pattern that offers enough space for a Type 1 or Type 2 connector, along with space for a two-pin DC connector allowing charging at up to 200 Amps. As part of the announcement, the motor company informed current owners to NOT charge the motorcycles through standard home outlets and use only ChargePoint (direct-current stations) charging stations at authorized Harley dealerships to reload the battery.
Well isn’t that “a jolt” of inconvenience?!
For most riders, you’d like to start your day fully charged! Meaning home charging is normally done at night while you eat, play with the kids, watch TV, and sleep! There are two Harley-Davidson dealers in the Portland, Oregon metro area that have installed ChargePoint stations. Finding an alternative direct-current charging station to reload the motorcycle battery on the way to work and then waiting for a couple hours is certainly not ideal.
Charge Locations – Portland, Or. Metro
There are couple of things to know about public charging: the 3 different levels of charging, the difference between connectors and the charging networks. Riders can go directly to a dealer or try and locate charging stations using ChargeHub.
Knowing your motorcycle’s capabilities is very important and consult the dealer if not understood!
Public Chargers Levels:
Level 1 is the standard wall outlet of 120 volts. It is the slowest charge level and requires tens of hours to fully charge a 100% electric vehicle.
Level 2 is the typical EV plug found in homes and garages. Most public charging stations are level 2.
Level 3 chargers, also known as DCFC or DC Fast Chargers are the quickest way to charge a vehicle. Not every electric vehicle can charge at level 3 chargers.
In general, electric motorcycles are in a phase of adoption known as “the chasm,” (See: Geoffrey Moore’s technology adoption curve) a gulf separating early adopters from the majority of consumers. It’s a treacherous position in the life of new technology/products, and often determines their success or failure. One could debate that Harley-Davidson is targeting a market that does not really exist: young, “green” and affluent first-time motorcyclists.
This unattractive “glitch” will be over soon enough, but it does little to promote value creation and owning a Harley-Davidson electric motorcycle.
UPDATE: October 16, 2019 — An unidentified H-D source tells Forbes: “This is an issue with the 120v [charging] system, which includes an on-board charger, so it could be a vendor issue with that charger, a wiring harness issue, etc. The point I’d make is that the QC [Quality Control] process worked…there’s an issue, it was discovered before the bikes were shipped to dealers and customers, and I assume it will be fixed.”
UPDATE: October 18, 2019 — TechCrunch reported that Harley-Davidson has resumed LiveWire production. “After completing rigorous analysis this week, we have resumed LiveWire production and deliveries,” Harley-Davidson said in a comment emailed to TechCrunch. “Customers may continue riding their LiveWire motorcycle and are able to charge the motorcycle through all methods. Temporarily stopping LiveWire production allowed us to confirm that the non-standard condition identified on one motorcycle was a singular occurrence.”
Photos courtesy of Harley-Davidson and ChargeHub
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