A new trademark application from Harley-Davidson has reinforced the firm’s plan to have an electric bike on sale next year, revealing the name ‘Revelation’ for its power unit.
The Revelation name follows Harley’s tradition of naming its engines. It’s clearly a play on the old ‘Revolution’ engine that powered the V-Rod, but this time it’s due to be applied to an electric power source.
The trademark application says the name will be used on “batteries for vehicles; electric batteries for powering electric vehicles; battery chargers” as well as “powertrains for vehicles; engines for motorcycles; transmissions for motorcycles; electric drives for vehicles”.
Harley’s application, dated
15 February 2018, comes soon after the news that Harley’s LiveWire electric bike prototype will lead to a production model within 18 months.
The firm’s 2017 annual report, released in January this year, said: “Harley-Davidson remains fully committed to investing in product development to inspire new riders through redefining its product in traditional spaces and expanding into new spaces. The company is on target to launch its first electric motorcycle within 18 months. Today, the company announces it will invest more aggressively to lead in the application of electric motorcycle technology to inspire ridership among a new audience.”
Company president Matt Levatich was quoted in the report as saying: “The EV motorcycle market is in its infancy today, but we believe premium Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles will help drive excitement and participation in the sport globally. As we expand our EV capabilities and commitment, we get even more excited about the role electric motorcycles will play in growing our business.”
The timescale means we should see a production electric Harley by the middle of 2019.
By Ben Purvis
