by Barb Schmitz, Senior Editor, 3dcadworld.com
“When you think of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, often referred to as “hogs,” its iconic, rumbling sound is often the first thing that comes to mind. The company at one point famously sought to trademark its bikes’ distinctive sound.
Owners love that sound, which sets them apart from the rest of the pack of motorcycle enthusiasts. Imagine their collective horror then when Harley-Davidson announced the debut of its first electric motorcycle prototype, called Project LifeWire, which touts zero emissions.
The LiveWire boasts a 74-horsepower (hp) motor, edging out that of the 60-hp Prius, and according to specs the bike can go 53 miles between charges and takes just 3.5 hours to charge on a 220-Volt outlet. Performance wise, the bike tops out at 92 mph, not bad for a battery-powered bike.
The company used PTC’s Pro/ENGINEER (now Creo/Parametric) to design the new bike and finite element analysis (FEA) software to conduct virtual testing on the design before any actual parts were machined or prototyped.”
Ed- watch CNN’s Allison Kosik talk with Harley Davidson CEO Mark-Hans Richer about his company’s new electric motorcycle:
