Designer Tanner Van De Veer recently unveiled the Harley-Davidson Revival project, his vision of a hypothetical affordable electric motorcycle whose main objective would be to attract a younger clientele to the North American brand, whose only electric model currently on sale, the LiveWire; it costs a whopping $30,000 in its home market.
With Millennials and Generation Z in mind, this motorcycle is committed to different formulas to save costs and be affordable for this public sector. First, Van De Veer proposes a subscription program for batteries, reminiscent of Renault’s battery rental in most of its electric cars for years.
On the other hand, the Revival would also have a removable battery, a solution already seen in brands such as the Spanish Silence, thanks to which greater comfort is achieved (normally, motorcycles with removable batteries allow the pack to be charged individually at home) and a quick exchange at a station in case of need.
Van De Veer has paid special attention to detail to create a neat-looking bike: from the Carhartt saddle to the cutting-edge lighting signature, the Harley-Davidson Revival is an exponent of the retro-futuristic trend that contemporary designers love so much. and that it would likely allow the model to connect with youth if it did hit the market.
The project has been submitted to the Harley Owners Club, a community marketing club sponsored by Harley-Davidson itself. Van De Veer’s project, who recently graduated from the University of Cincinnati College’s Industrial Design program, is at the moment a mere design exercise with no signs of going to production.
However, even though aspects such as ergonomics or the use of apparently costly components would have to be re-studied, it is an exciting project that would fit perfectly with the expansion plans of Harley-Davidson, which wants to increase its presence in markets such as Europe, hand in hand with a range that will gradually become electrified.