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Replacing a Prius battery costs about $2,000. And it seems like they don't need replacing until the car's done a hundred thousand miles or more.
Given that the LiveWire has a limited range, I doubt very many owners will ever need to replace the battery, ever.
Given how many miles the average Harley owner rides in a year, I'd guess there will be guys triking their LiveWires with the original battery still in it.
You could ask the same question -- if Harley uses an old air-cooled engine in the Sportster, how can they charge $13,000 for it when you can buy a Chinese air-cooled Sportster lookalike for $1000?
The truth is, they don't have to justify anything to anyone. The price is what it is, and either people will buy it or they won't. It doesn't matter how much it costs them to build it, it only matters whether end customers will buy enough of them to have made it worthwhile.
That's the great thing about the Lightning -- if you want it, and can afford it, then -- go buy it. Nothing's stopping you.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
