A sizeable subsidy bung, originating from swansong legislation framed by outgoing US President “Sleepy” Joe Biden, has landed on the mat at Harley-Davidson’s assembly plant in York, Pennsylvania. Democrat US Senator Bob Casey has secured $89m (£69.3m) in funding from the US Department of Energy to support Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorcycle production at York. The money comes from a Domestic Manufacturing Conversion grant programme. This is an Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) measure that supports domestic production of zero-emissions vehicles. The wildly mis-named IRA was created by Biden to encourage “green” manufacturing initiatives, and has nothing to do with inflation.
Commenting on this generosity, Senator Casey said: “In a world where demand for electric vehicles is only growing stronger, we have an obligation to ensure American manufacturers can compete on the international stage. Harley-Davidson is one of America’s iconic manufacturers, and this funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will ensure it will be able to continue leading the global market in the years and decades to come. I will always fight for investments that support a strong, clean economy and continue South Central Pennsylvania’s legacy as a manufacturing powerhouse.”
According to Casey, Harley-Davidson will use the bung to increase production of LiveWire-branded electric motorcycles, using an all-American supply chain.
He has a history of fighting for the York Harley facility and supported the Inflation Reduction Act, which included tax credits for individuals and companies manufacturing or deploying clean energy technologies to help lower costs and secure US energy independence. The IRA included a Casey-led provision of “domestic content” bonus credits for companies that use American steel, iron, and manufactured goods. And, last year, he ensured that LiveWire electric motorcycles assembled at York qualified for clean-vehicle tax credits in the IRA.