LiveWire (company)

LiveWire is an American electric motorcycle manufacturer. It was initially launched as a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) division for Harley Davidson in July 2021. The company was spun-off from its parent and went public on September 27, 2022, via merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC).[3][4] It was the first publicly traded electric motorcycle company in the United States.[2]

For other uses, see Livewire.

LiveWire
TypePublic
NYSE: LVWR
IndustryMotorcycles
Founded2022 (2022)
HeadquartersMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Mountain View, California[1]
Key people
Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and acting CEO[1]
Ryan Morrissey, President[2]
ProductsElectric motorcycles
Websitewww.livewire.com

The company operates dual headquarters at Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Mountain View, California.[1]

History
See also: LiveWire (motorcycle) § History
Harley Davidson LiveWire at Motorcycle Live 2014

The LiveWire electric motorcycle was first displayed to the media in June 2014, as part of Harley Davidson's Project LiveWire Experience, a traveling dealer demo.[5] Prototypes were made available for public test rides at US Harley-Davidson dealerships later in 2014, then Europe and Canada in 2015.[5]

In May 2021, Harley Davidson announced it was spinning LiveWire off as its own brand, including replacing the Harley Davidson logo on the motorcycles with the LiveWire logo.[6] The first LiveWire branded motorcycle, named LiveWire ONE, was unveiled at the July 8 International Motorcycle Show in Sonoma, California.[6][4][7] In December, Harley Davidson announced it was merging LiveWire with AEA-Bridges Impact Corp. (ABIC), a SPAC formed by private equity executives John Garcia and Michele Giddens, and it would begin publicly trading on the NYSE with ticker symbol "LVW".[3][4] The deal was reportedly financed by $400 million of ABIC's cash held in trust, $100 million from Harley-Davidson, and $100 million from Taiwanese scooter manufacturer Kymco, through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) sale.[4]

In the company's Q4 2021 earnings report, released in February 2022, it announced its next electric model, the LiveWire Del Mar, would be introduced in the second quarter.[8]

Products
Main article: LiveWire (motorcycle)
LiveWire ONE on the Formula E racetrack in New York in 2019

LiveWire manufactures the LiveWire brand of motorcycles. Its first product is the LiveWire ONE electric motorcycle. Electric motorcycles are seen as easier and quieter to ride than gas-powered motorcycles, with no clutch or gearshift, or hot exhaust pipes.[9]

The company reportedly planned to develop three more electric models with a goal of manufacturing 100,000 motorcycles by 2026.[1]

The company's second model, the LiveWire Del Mar, was announced in February 2022, and was reportedly the first to use LiveWire's scalable, modular ARROW platform. It was intended to be lighter and less expensive than the LiveWire One.[8]

Operations

The company operates dual headquarters at Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Mountain View, California.[1] Its motorcycles are manufactured in York, Pennsylvania at Harley Davidson's plant.[10] The company reportedly plans to continue to work with Harley Davidson dealers, and is also reportedly planning dedicated LiveWire showrooms, starting in California.[10]

As of January 2022, Harley Davidson Chairman and CEO Jochen Zeitz was continuing to lead LiveWire as a separate corporate entity and was the acting CEO, while Ryan Morrissey was the company's president.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Harley's Green CEO Seizes on SPAC Craze to Speed Electrification". Bloomberg. December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  2. "Harley-Davidson stock climbs with news of LiveWire spin-off with $1.8B valuation". Milwaukee Business Journal. December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  3. "Harley-Davidson is spinning off its electric motorcycle brand". CNN. December 14, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  4. "Harley-Davidson's electric motorcycle brand LiveWire is merging with a SPAC to go public". The Verge. December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  5. Conner, Blake (June 19, 2014). "Harley-Davidson Livewire Electric Motorcycle – First Ride". Cycle World. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  6. "Harley-Davidson spins out LiveWire as its own electric motorcycle brand". The Verge. May 10, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  7. Ets-Hokin, Gabe (July 23, 2021). "2021 International Motorcycle Show at Sonoma Raceway". Cycle World. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  8. Chung, Dennis (February 8, 2022). "LiveWire S2 Del Mar Middleweight Electric to Debut in Q2 2022". Cycle World. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  9. Carpenter, Susan (August 8, 2019). "An Electric Harley Loses the Growl but Still Aims to Turn Heads". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  10. "Harley-Davidson to make LiveWire a standalone brand". Motor Authority. May 13, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  • Official website
  • Business data for LiveWire:
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