Harley-Davidson and its electric sub-brand, LiveWire, have confirmed that the latter’s second electric motorcycle will arrive in Q2 this year.
CEO Jochen Zeitz, CEO for HD and LiveWire revealed that the new model would be called the Del Mar, and was the first offering to use the ARROW modular platform.
The Del Mar, codenamed the S2 and based on the ARROW platform, is tuned towards middleweight bikes, placing it below the LiveWire One. The ARROW platform, which is modular and developed in-house, uses the battery pack as its central element and serves as a monocoque chassis.
The platform can support voltage systems from 50V to over 400V, with multiple battery capacities, motor output options and cooling solutions. The modular and scalable nature of this platform aims to keep developmental costs for future LiveWires in check.
The Del Mar will get a motor with a direct-drive design (likely mounted at the rear hub). The battery pack uses 21,700 cylindrical cells, which is a relatively new lithium-ion cell size format adopted by companies such as Tesla, Samsung and LG. This format is said to be more reliable, safer and has a higher energy density when compared to the 18,650 format.
The platform incorporates a DC-DC charger, converter and inverter, with shared components such as cooling circuits, wiring harnesses and chips to cut down excess weight and the number of microprocessors required.
The new motorcycle will also be capable of receiving OTA updates to refine the bike’s software, without it being brought into the shop.
Harley also says it is targeting a light and nimble electric motorcycle with this S2 architecture, so a slender, flat track-inspired design could be on the cards. Following the Del Mar could be the launch of a model based on the S3 architecture, which will be for smaller capacity motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson is also taking the LiveWire brand public, through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company called AEA-Bridges Impact Corp (ABIC) and the merger should be completed in May.
