LiveWire Experience Center Debuts in Malibu, California

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A look inside the Malibu LiveWire Experience Center that Harley debuted to unite EV riders. (LiveWire/)

LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand born within Harley-Davidson’s future-prospecting underbelly, has opened its debut Experience Center in Malibu, California.

The LiveWire Experience Center, created through a collaboration with London designer Steve Lidbury, delivers a community-driven space for LiveWire riders while offering electric motorcycle newbies a connection to the silent-exhaustless experience.

Malibu was the ideal location to launch the new center, considering California hosts 10 of the 34 LiveWire shops opened in the USA as of this writing. The brand is also headquartered virtually in Silicon Valley, California, at LiveWire Labs.

The debut LiveWire Experience Center in Malibu highlights the community-driven mission of Harley’s electric moto brand. (LiveWire/)

“California is one of the most established electric vehicle markets in the world and is an ideal location for the first LiveWire Experience Center,” says Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president, and CEO of Harley-Davidson.

“The LiveWire One motorcycle is designed for the pursuit of urban adventure and the Malibu area offers superb riding in a variety of environments, both urban and beyond. The Experience Center will give both riders and non-riders a chance to engage with the LiveWire brand and ultimately experience the thrill of riding the most desirable electric motorcycle available today.”

The center’s design is more Apple and Tesla than Softails and Sportsters, appealing to the modern aesthetic EV riders gravitate toward. LiveWire says, “The interior expresses cool urban adventure, with polished concrete, engineered wood, perforated steel, and detailed textures. The 1,766-square-foot space incorporates a virtual showroom to support live video chats with LiveWire representatives, displays of LiveWire technology and design, a collaborative showcase featuring displays by LiveWire partners, socializing and event space.”

Demo rides are also available at each center for the LiveWire One, which is basically a rebranded Harley-Davidson LiveWire, The Motor Company’s first EV bike that was released in 2019.

The moden layout is as innovative in styling as the LiveWire One’s technology. (LiveWire/)

Harley shocked, and somewhat bemused, the industry in 2014 when it entered the world of EV vehicles by unveiling its prototype electric motorcycle. In 2019, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire was introduced, followed by the Harley announcement in December 2021 that LiveWire would become a separate company. LiveWire was acquired by a SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company. A SPAC doesn’t have any operations; instead, its mission is to take companies public by bypassing the issues of an IPO, or an initial public offering of a company. Without getting technical, a SPAC simplifies the financing and allows companies to go public quicker.

As for Harley, it will retain majority ownership in LiveWire and benefit from LiveWire receiving more than half a billion dollars to grow its distribution and technology.

In May 2021, the EV bike was rebranded as the LiveWire One, which LiveWire claims is capable of 146-mile range and can charge from 0 to 100 percent in 60 minutes.

To expand its lineup, LiveWire will soon introduce the all-new Del Mar, a midweight lower-cost EV that uses the new in-house-designed Arrow EV architecture, which LiveWire says is a more scalable technology featuring an energy-dense battery that can be air- or liquid-cooled.

The LiveWire One is available for demo rides at the new Experience Center. (LiveWire/)

The Arrow EV uses higher-volume 21700 format cells versus the older, less efficient 18650-cell arrangement.

The LiveWire One is both product and category, labeled the “S1″ for internal LiveWire teams. Next is the S2, which features the Del Mar, and an S3 lightweight category, which appears to be focused on leveraging the new partnership with Taiwan-based Kymco. An S4 category is also planned, focusing on heavyweight EVs.

For additional information, visit LiveWire.

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