COP26: Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire goes on patrol in Glasgow

Coppers in Scotland have been keeping things environmentally friendly, patrolling the COP26 climate summit on a fleet of Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles. And the beat goes on...

There’s been a lot in the news over the last few weeks about the COP26 climate summit (or the United Nations Climate Change Conference, if you prefer). And the eagle-eyed among you might have spotted a motorcycle or two escorting VIPs at the event.

We won’t get into the specifics of what went on at COP26, which is widely considered to be the most important international climate summit to date. We’ll focus our attention on the bikes chosen by the Scottish Police to keep an eye on things at the conference. In keeping with the ethos of the climate summit, Police Scotland made full use of a fleet of specially prepared all-electric Harley-Davidson LiveWires.

Kitted out by technical teams from Harley-Davidson Europe and HarleyDavidson dealers in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the LiveWires spent a couple weeks escorting VIPs, answering emergency calls and making sure things ran smoothly throughout the event.

As explained by Police Scotland Superintendent Darren Faulds: “Where possible we have taken measures to ensure that COP26 is policed in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Our work to improve our sustainability has been enhanced thanks to the support of Harley-Davidson, and we welcome these electric motorcycles as an addition to our existing road policing assets to help with the delivery of a safe and secure event.”

The near £30,000 Harley-Davidson has been widely praised for its sharp handling, punchy power delivery and stylish looks, but its battery range when ridden at consistently high speeds has been flagged as one of the problems by punters who might consider making the switch to electric. But with a range of under 150 miles when ridden at slower speeds in town, the LiveWire seems like the perfect choice for policing the event.

It’s not the first time a police force has gone electric. BMW recently showed off a police patrol version of its concept CE04 and Zero Motorcycles’ range has become a popular choice for police departments in the USA. It’ll be interesting to see if the LiveWire remains on Glasgow’s fleet or if the bikes were only ever intended to be used to police COP26.