Harley-Davidson, the American motorcycle manufacturer famous for its loud burbling, popping engine sounds, has announced it plans to release its first electric motorcycle within the next 18 months.
An electric motorcycle will, of course, not make burbling or popping noises. Instead it’s more likely to emit a whirring sound as it heads down the road. Harley revealed a prototype electric bike in 2014, but never announced a timeframe as to when the electric bike would hit the market.
The news came in Harley-Davidson’s annual financial report, which also laid out a plan to close the manufacturer’s Kansas City, Missouri, assembly plant. That plant currently employes about 800. Bikes built there will now be assembled at Harley’s York, Pennsylvania, plant where 450 jobs will be added.
Last year was a tough one for Harley-Davidson. Retail motorcycle sales declined by 6.7% globally and 8.5% in the United States.
A number of start-up companies have already entered — or are getting ready to enter — the electric motorcycle business. Thanks to quick power delivery from electric motors, electric bikes promise to be fun. They should also be easier to use for new bikers, since electric motors don’t require a transmission, so riders won’t have have to learn how to shift gears.
“It’s going to be a no-excuses, exhilerating Harley-Davidson Motorcycle,” Harley-Davidson spokesman Michael Pflughoeft said of the new bike, which is still in development.
Like other Harley-Davidson bikes, the electric motorcycle will be a luxury product, he said, but there is still no word on its price or what it will be called.