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https://reason.com/2025/08/19/joe-bi...n-its-failing/
Joe Biden Paid $89 Million To Boost Electric Motorcycle Production. It's Failing.
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In 2024, President Joe Biden's Energy Department awarded $1.7 billion in grants to increase domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles (E.V.s), including $89 million to Harley-Davidson to expand its manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania for electric motorcycle production. At the time, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm claimed the funding would "ensure that our automotive industry stays competitive." Then-Sen. Bob Casey (D–Pa.) championed the grant, with his office declaring that it would "help Harley Davidson make investments necessary to hit its goal of producing more zero-emission motorcycles."
More than a year later, it appears that this funding plan is failing.
Despite the $89 million in government subsidies provided to LiveWire, which was initially launched as part of Harley-Davidson but has since spun off, the company has sold only 55 electric motorcycles in the second quarter of 2025, a 65 percent decline compared to the same quarter in 2024. In the second quarter of 2025, LiveWire's electric motorcycle business yielded $800,000 in revenue. Overall, in the second quarter of 2025, the company generated $5.9 million in consolidated revenue from its electric motorcycles and electric bikes.
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In 2024, President Joe Biden's Energy Department awarded $1.7 billion in grants to increase domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles (E.V.s), including $89 million to Harley-Davidson to expand its manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania for electric motorcycle production. At the time, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm claimed the funding would "ensure that our automotive industry stays competitive." Then-Sen. Bob Casey (D–Pa.) championed the grant, with his office declaring that it would "help Harley Davidson make investments necessary to hit its goal of producing more zero-emission motorcycles."
More than a year later, it appears that this funding plan is failing.
Despite the $89 million in government subsidies provided to LiveWire, which was initially launched as part of Harley-Davidson but has since spun off, the company has sold only 55 electric motorcycles in the second quarter of 2025, a 65 percent decline compared to the same quarter in 2024. In the second quarter of 2025, LiveWire's electric motorcycle business yielded $800,000 in revenue. Overall, in the second quarter of 2025, the company generated $5.9 million in consolidated revenue from its electric motorcycles and electric bikes.
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Anything that is a viable business model should not require government funding, but rather that government reduce regulation inhibiting innovation, entrepreneurism, and growth.
Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. It stifles innovation, healthy competition, and economic growth. And it encourages kickbacks.
After Boeing failed to design a commercially viable SST, they lobbied to have supersonic flight curtailed over CONUS to prevent competition from others. And domestic commercial passenger aircraft design stagnated. If you can't compete, legislate.
Trump rescinded the decades old ban on overland supersonic flight in the US and suddenly, innovation occurs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Overture
Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. It stifles innovation, healthy competition, and economic growth. And it encourages kickbacks.
After Boeing failed to design a commercially viable SST, they lobbied to have supersonic flight curtailed over CONUS to prevent competition from others. And domestic commercial passenger aircraft design stagnated. If you can't compete, legislate.
Trump rescinded the decades old ban on overland supersonic flight in the US and suddenly, innovation occurs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Overture
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Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
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From: Chantilly, VA
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Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
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From: Chantilly, VA
This is a justice on SCOTUS:
maybe, just maybe, the quality of the legal challenges are **** poor? maybe?
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a lengthy dissent in which she criticized both the outcome and her colleagues’ willingness to continue allowing the administration to use the court’s emergency appeals process.
“This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: there are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins,” she wrote, referring to the fictional game in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.
“This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: there are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins,” she wrote, referring to the fictional game in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.
maybe, just maybe, the quality of the legal challenges are **** poor? maybe?
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From: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
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Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
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From: Chantilly, VA
Publicly traded company. Government was given shares. You too can own shares of Intel.
Intel outsources manufacturing to tsmc which the Taiwanese government owns shares in.
10 percent is not a controlling interest, but gives a seat at the table.
We can't buy/use parts made in China. semi conductors are critical to American infrastructure.
Intel invests in American manufacturing. Good for US.
Biden gave them 11 billion with nothing in return.
Intel outsources manufacturing to tsmc which the Taiwanese government owns shares in.
10 percent is not a controlling interest, but gives a seat at the table.
We can't buy/use parts made in China. semi conductors are critical to American infrastructure.
Intel invests in American manufacturing. Good for US.
Biden gave them 11 billion with nothing in return.
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 34,402
Total Cats: 7,523
From: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Publicly traded company. Government was given shares. You too can own shares of Intel.
Intel outsources manufacturing to tsmc which the Taiwanese government owns shares in.
10 percent is not a controlling interest, but gives a seat at the table.
We can't buy/use parts made in China. semi conductors are critical to American infrastructure.
Intel invests in American manufacturing. Good for US.
Biden gave them 11 billion with nothing in return.
Intel outsources manufacturing to tsmc which the Taiwanese government owns shares in.
10 percent is not a controlling interest, but gives a seat at the table.
We can't buy/use parts made in China. semi conductors are critical to American infrastructure.
Intel invests in American manufacturing. Good for US.
Biden gave them 11 billion with nothing in return.
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Trump is getting Washington DC cleaned up in advance of the 250 year celebration. It's pretty obvious. He's had the government take a stake in a company (Intel) that's vital to our national security, banking, online, and nearly every other industry. Again, obvious.
On the other side, the Democrats are freaking out about painted-over rainbow sidewalks and how they can't murder with impunity in the metro DC area, like the good old days.
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Thread Starter
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From: Chantilly, VA
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