You can soon ride the Avengers’ all-electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle
The sleek motorcycle Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow used to maneuver through traffic in the 2015 Avengers movie will soon be available for non-superheroes.
Harley-Davidson, known for its American-made motorcycles, is expanding into all-electric vehicles with its first e-bike expected to hit the road in the next 18 months.
In an earnings call earlier this week, Harley-Davidson outlined plans for its Project LiveWire electric motorcycle to go from prototype to real deal. That's an electric motor -- no gas. The LiveWire concept launched in 2014 and went from zero to 60 mph in four seconds.
The concept motorcycle was first seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and will be a real product available to the public by 2020. No word yet on what the new electric bike will be called or what its capabilities will look like.
The California company Zero Motorcycles already offers electric motorcycles. Look at the Zero S -- its range reaches up to 223 miles of city driving on its compact frame and battery. Models start around $11,000. Pricing for the future electric Harley isn't out yet, but it'll have to compete with what's out there.
Other competitors like Yamaha are also developing an electric motorcycle concept.
The Hog maker seems to think an electric vehicle will attract a different, new customer base more willing to consider a motorcycle that rides quieter and without associated stereotypes of middle-aged men in a mid-life crisis. The product development announcement comes amidst declining motorcycle sales in the U.S. and globally.
Grab the nearest cape and helmet.
Topics Electric Vehicles
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
