by Gabrielle DeSantis

It doesn’t officially wear the Harley-Davidson name anymore, but the 2021 LiveWire One is still Harley’s electric motorcycle. At least until the LiveWire EV brand starts expanding. And that will put it into even greater competition with Zero Motorcycles, which has been electric from the start. But even before that happens, Zero already has a LiveWire One competitor, the SR/F. So, which one of these two-wheeled EVs should you consider putting in your garage?

Specs showdown: 2021 LiveWire One vs. 2021 Zero SR/F Premium

Spec	2021 LiveWire One	2021 Zero SR/F Premium
Motor	Liquid-cooled permanent-magnet AC	Air-cooled permanent-magnet AC
Power	105 hp	110 hp
Torque	86 lb-ft	140 lb-ft
Final drive	Belt	Belt
Gross battery capacity	15.4 kWh	14.4 kWh (standard) 18.0 kWh (with Power Tank)
Claimed city range	146 miles	161 miles (standard) 200 miles (with Power Tank)
Front suspension and travel	Fully-adjustable Showa SFF-BP inverted fork, 4.5” (based on 2020 specs, Cycle World)	Fully-adjustable Showa SFF-BP inverted fork, 4.72”
Rear suspension and travel	Fully-adjustable Showa BFRC mono-shock, 4.5” (based on 2020 specs, Cycle World)	Fully-adjustable Showa mono-shock, 5.51”
Seat height	30″	31.0” (standard) 30.3” (accessory Low Seat) 31.9” (accessory Tall Seat)
Wheelbase	58.7″	57.1″
Curb weight	562 lb	498 lb
0-60 mph time	3.12 seconds (2020 model, Cycle World)	3.65 seconds (Cycle World)
¼-mile time and trap speed	11.54 seconds @ 110.6 mph (2020 model, Cycle World)	11.83 seconds @ 116.2 mph (Cycle World)
Starting price	$21,999	$21,495

As noted earlier, the 2021 LiveWire One is essentially a discounted 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire. And as the table above shows, that means it’s now significantly closer in price to the Zero SR/F Premium. Plus, these two are fairly close in terms of general specs.

However, when it comes to the details, Zero’s and Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycles start to drift apart. The 2021 LiveWire One, for example, has Brembo front brakes, while the Zero SR/F Premium uses J. Juan brakes. But the SR/F Premium has five preset riding modes, while the One only has four. Plus, while both bikes have adjustable traction control, cornering ABS, and rear-wheel-slip control, the SR/F has stability control. And Zero’s bike has a slightly larger TFT display: 5.0” to the LiveWire One’s 4.3”. Also, standard heated grips.

How do the 2021 LiveWire One and 2021 Zero SR/F Premium compare on range and charging time?

Yet while the 2021 Zero SR/F Premium has the 2021 LiveWire One beat in range on paper, the IRL situation might be different. In Cycle World’s comparison, the 2020 LiveWire was roughly 10% more energy efficient than the SR/F. In addition, during “spirited riding,” the Zero ran out of juice after 67 miles, while the Harley-Davidson LiveWire still had 12 miles of range. And it’s worth noting that Harley-Davidson claims the LiveWire One has “evolved software and hardware,” so it could offer even more range.

Plus, unlike the SR/F, the One can charge at Level 3 fast chargers. However, Harley-Davidson recommends doing so sparingly to extend the battery’s lifespan. Nevertheless, the Zero SR/F Premium can only match the LiveWire One’s Level 2 recharge time with the optional Rapid Charge System. And that’s incompatible with the Power Tank.

On the other hand, the Zero SR/F Premium offers more customization than the LiveWire One when it comes to rider settings. And that includes the regeneration from the brakes and the motor. However, some of this additional customization has to be done on Zero’s smartphone app, Cycle World notes.

These electric motorcycles are equally fast, similarly sized, but offer different riding experiences

I recently rode both the 2021 LiveWire One and the 2021 Zero SR/F Premium at the 2021 International Motorcycle Show in Chicago. And while both electric motorcycles offer shift-free thrills, they’re by no means identical. Despite how close they are on paper, the One and SR/F are distinctly different flavors of two-wheeled EVs.

For, well, one, the 2021 LiveWire One offers more visceral sensations than the SR/F. Besides rocking gently upon startup, it’s also louder at speed, with a high-pitched, sci-fi turbine whine. Plus, it rushes forward more eagerly and explosively when you twist the throttle, as Cycle World’s 0-60 mph test suggests. And those Brembo brakes also bite slightly harder, especially initially, than the Zero SR/F Premium’s J. Juans, RevZilla says.

However, the SR/F Premium’s relatively silent speed is giggle-inducing in its own right. And with its lower curb weight, shorter wheelbase, and different suspension geometry, it turns in more easily than the One. It also makes transitioning between corners easier, RevZilla notes. RevZilla and Cycle World both said the SR/F felt less stable than the 2020 LiveWire over imperfect roads, but I didn’t notice such issues.

That’s not to say that the LiveWire One isn’t fun and stable on sweeping country roads, because it is. It’s just that the Zero SR/F Premium behaves like the sportier bike. And you’ll feel the 60-odd-pound-lower curb weight make a difference at a set of stoplights.

Which electric motorcycle should you buy, the 2021 LiveWire One or the 2021 Zero SR/F Premium?

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Given that the 2021 LiveWire One is only about $500 more expensive than the Zero SR/F Premium, the budget isn’t a huge factor. In the past, RevZilla and Cycle World noted that Zero’s switchgear felt cheaper than what Harley-Davidson offered. However, while the 2021 SR/F’s switches felt slightly lighter to me, I wouldn’t call them cheap.

Ultimately, picking between these two electric motorcycles depends on what you value. The SR/F Premium has a few extra features and a sportier riding experience. But the One has more real-world range, speed, and sound. So, test-ride them both, and see which one sparks more joy for you.

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by Gabrielle DeSantis

According to fresh registration data in the United States, Tesla sales in the United States are skyrocketing. Nonetheless, as many industry experts predicted, the Silicon Valley-based EV manufacturer’s market share has started experiencing a slight decrease. Additionally, the Financial Times has reported that electric vehicle sales have surged in China as demand for Teslas tumbles. However, Elon Musk plans on remedying this with five different versions of the Tesla Model Y.

China’s EV automotive market

According to a report published in Fortune, “China is the world’s largest market for electric vehicle (EV) sales, but it still has enormous room for growth. Beijing has set a target for EVs to account for 40% of all passenger vehicles sold in 2030, up from roughly 5% today. This is a stark contrast from 2009 to 2012 when EVs were only 0.01% of the market. That 5% metric was as of early April of this year, and as far as we know, that hasn’t changed, nor will it for some time to come. To put it in a less than eloquent way, that sucks for Tesla since its EVs don’t seem to be as popular as other brands in the country. Is there any hope for Tesla and the Model Y?

Tesla sales fell in China by nearly 70% this year

In Q1 2021, Tesla’s sales numbers in China were shakier than they originally seemed.  The unpopularity of Tesla EVs is multifaceted, with reasons ranging from being banned from Chinese military bases due to the possibility that they’re really high-tech spy tools to being too expensive. Amazingly, another reason is that Tesla models produced in two of the automaker’s Chinese assembly plants aren’t up to par with what consumers expect quality-wise. Furthermore, the poor publicity Tesla gets in China helps boost Chinese-branded EVs, something nearly impossible to overcome in such a politically charged nation.

An article published by CNN Business states: “The China Passenger Car Association reported that Tesla’s sales in China fell to 8,621 cars in July, down nearly 70% from June. However, the export of cars built at Tesla’s Shanghai plant jumped to 24,347 for July, compared with 5,017 in June. That means total sales of Chinese-built Teslas fell less than 1% overall.”

The CNN Business article explains that Tesla EVs only accounted for just under 4% of battery electric vehicle sales in China in July. According to analyst Gordon Johnson, one of the most strident Tesla haters, further noted that those sales numbers were a 12.6% decrease from June, proving that the company is starting to face more fervent competition from both local and foreign EV startups. This must have been disappointing news for Tesla, considering that the Model Y was China’s third best-selling EV in February.

Will five new Tesla Model Y versions fix the problem?

Feel the speed of Shanghai Gigafactory! pic.twitter.com/Bmn5ak2rU6

— Tesla Greater China (@teslacn) August 26, 2021

As the old saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them. In the case of Tesla’s plummeting demand in the world’s largest EV market, Elon Musk ” […] has filed with the Chinese government to produce five more versions of the Tesla Model Y electric SUV at Gigafactory Shanghai,” as per Electrek. Musk’s first line of attack deals with possibly the top issue Chinese consumers have with buying a Tesla, that being price. So, rumors from China show that Tesla has finally succeeded in building its first “under-$25,000 Tesla prototype” at one of those factories.

A notorious auto-industry insider and contributor named 不是郑小康 on the Chinese blogging site “Sina Weibo”  leaked the information, reportedly. The leaker also claimed that suppliers had already begun producing components for the new Model Y versions, with pre-production models beginning to roll off the assembly line toward year’s end. For now, only one or two media influencers have vouched for the accuracy of the leaks, which means the information should be taken with a grain of salt. If true, this means Musk has finally followed through with a promise he has been touting for several years.

Additionally, another growing EV market is in India, though significantly smaller than other EV markets. However, India imposes 100% taxes on foreign automakers, likely pushed by its five dominant EV manufacturers: JBM Auto Ltd, Olectra Greentech Ltd., MG Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and Tata. Apparently, Musk is in no hurry to enter India’s EV market until the tax rate is lowered to around 40%. Good luck with that, Musk.

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