A few years ago I bought a second hand BMW i3 from an authorised dealership in Melbourne. Up until then, I had never considered purchasing an all-electric car because of the limitations. Sure, I am interested in the environment and reducing our carbon footprint. However, there are also many other practical issues to consider like charging times and accessibility to charging stations. Fortunately, one of my neighbours installs these stations and was able to fit a device in our garage. Certainly, I do not regret the acquisition but have to concede that I won’t be embarking on any road trips in the near future. Due to the scale and infrastructure in a country like Australia, it is unfeasible to contemplate travelling a large distance in an electric vehicle.
In my second book entitled ‘Luxury Design for Living’ I featured a German company called Thunderbike. Their speciality is customising Harley Davidson motorbikes for discerning clients around the world. Normally these creations are roaring hyper beasts that are fuelled by petrol. However, like most automotive brands Harley has decided to adopt a greener approach and introduce an electric model to the range called the LiveWire.
Personally, I have never been interested in riding a motorbike, mainly because of the safety aspects. However, from a designer’s perspective, I can appreciate the aesthetic of the LiveWire. Basically, it is a beautifully engineered piece of machinery that will entice a broad spectrum of clients. I absolutely love the cast aluminium geometric frame that is both rigid and lightweight. Feature like the Electronic Chassis Control (ECC) system, enhanced Anti-locking, Braking System (ABS) and Traction Control System make the bike intuitive to ride.
As I mentioned before owning an electric vehicle comes with certain limitations. Therefore, if you purchased a LiveWire it would probably be best suited to city riding as it has a maximum range of only 225km. However, this shouldn’t deter buyers because this bike it makes up for it on the performance front. According to the manufacturers date the LiveWire will accelerate from 0-100km (0-60mph) in under 3 seconds.
