The CEO of Harley Davidson hired a Chief officer for their electric vehicle area last month. Hiring another CEO for the company, Ford CEO Jim Farley is another push for Harley Davidon’s progress into EV.
Livewire- Harley first EV
With their first production of Livewire in 2019 September, the company finally is preparing to go fully electric. Livewire was even sent to the Formula E racetrack as a testing activity.
Despite the brand value, the sales have been shrinking for the company, and making Livewire was more of strategic thinking than demand value two years back. As the industry is shifting towards electric vehicles, while providing the needed infrastructure, Harley is preparing for a great comeback.
In 2018, they even started an office in Silicon Valley, especially for their electric vehicles unit. Till last year, the Electric bike’s price was $29, 799. However, since the pandemic, there has been a little chaos. They were able to sell a total of 103, 650 bikes last year.
Farley and Zeitz to seek the transition
When run by Jim Farley, Ford strategically spent $22 Million on the electric vehicle line. For more than 10 years, the company offered F-10 to Harley Davidson. Also, both companies are known to have the American brand for a decade now.
Zeitz and Farley plan to focus on shifting the company to fully electric. Harley is not going to focus on the core heavy-weight motorcycle segment.
Jim Farley’s nomination included only Farley as a nominee. The nomination was disclosed on April 9th, through a letter where the process possibly went smooth without conflicts.
Jim Farley is known to have an interest in cars and bikes. Besides owning a few Harley Davidsons, he is also aligned with the company indirectly for a long and is not a new member.
Chief electric vehicle officer
Zeitz appointed a Chief electric officer last month. It is none other than Ryan Morrissey with experience in disruptive technologies and new technology company developments. Previously he served as a senior partner and head of the electric sector in Bian and Company.
His involvement with heavy-weight technology previously would be of advantage for Harley. Though Harley Davidson is a century-old brand, their new electric sector is barely 2-year old. Also, to shift to a fully electric segment, the company needs more than improvised technology.
While hiring Morrissey, the CEO Zeitz gave a statement,
“Ryan has extensive experience with leading OEMs, working on building businesses to develop, commercialize and support electric vehicles. I’m excited to have him join the team to help us lead in electric,”
Though the brand is focusing on electric vehicles, the brand value is known for its heavy-weight motorbike. Their main challenge lies in keeping up with their tradition, and transition to the electric vehicle era.
