Harley-Davidson Turns To Cloud With New EV

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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13th February 2019

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire all-electric sports cruiser bike will draw on cloud, IoT and AI technologies, the iconic US brand has announced.

The machine is part of the manufacture’s More Roads plan to accelerate growth. Its strategy hopes to put the brand at the forefront of electrification of motorcycling. With this in mind it has teamed up with the IBM Cloud in a bid to deliver mobility and concierge services and later expand into the digital giant’s AI, analytics and IoT technologies to transform the consumer experience on two wheels.

Harley’s LiveWire motorcycle is equipped with its connectivity suite operating through a smartphone app. Features include machine diagnostics on the go with battery range, battery health and charge level, location of nearby charging stations and current bike location. An alert will be sent to the owner’s phone if the motorcycle has been disturbed, tampered with or moved and GPS-enabled stolen-vehicle assistance tracking the vehicle. The system will also generate motorcycle service requirements and other care notifications will be provided to the rider.

Marc McAllister, Harley-Davidson vice-president product planning and portfolio, said: “LiveWire is a fully cellular-connected electric motorcycle and we needed a partner that could deliver mobility solutions that would meet riders’ changing expectations, as well as enhance security. With IBM we have struck the balance between using data to create both intelligent and personal experiences, while maintaining privacy and security.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_