Financial Associated Press, November 1 (Reporter Tang Zhixiao)The market prospect of electric scooter is broad day by day.

"most of our electric scooters are exported to overseas markets and are very popular in overseas markets." Zhou Jing, vice president of Wuxi Inspection and Certification Research Institute, revealed to the New Consumer Daily.

According to BCG, as of May 2022, the global mini-transportation market, mainly electric scooters and electric two-wheelers, has reached nearly 100 billion euros and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 30 per cent over the next decade.

So far, at least 100 cities around the world have shared electric scooters, including Europe, North America, South America, Australia, South Asia and other regions. In recent years, electric scooters have also appeared in first-and second-tier cities in China.

Generally speaking, China is the most important producer and exporter of electric scooters in the global market.

However, it is worth noting that due to the introduction of various legalization standards overseas, electric scooters have become one of the short vehicles to solve the "last kilometer". In the domestic market, electric scooters have not been able to get the "right of way" because of the lack of policy norms. However, with the release of the first relevant national standards for electric scooters some time ago, this situation is expected to be improved.

"in essence, the needs of global users to travel in cities are basically the same." Niu Technologies CEO Li Yan said in an interview with a reporter from the New consumption Daily.The challenge of electric scooters going out to sea is to make targeted products according to the different traffic management laws and regulations of each country.

Overseas electric scooters are developing rapidly.

It is reported that the electric scooter originated in Germany. Since 2018, the rise of shared electric scooters in Europe and the United States has given domestic two-wheeled electric vehicle manufacturers a business opportunity.

At present, the related manufacturing industry of electric scooter is mainly located in China, but it is more sought after by overseas markets, and it is a typical product of "blooming in the wall and incense outside the wall".

Among them, Company 9 is a typical representative.

In terms of the global scooter market, company 9 currently accounts for 53% of the global market, while other larger companies are happy electronics, which account for 10% of the market.

It is reported that as early as 2016, Company 9 entered the electric scooter market, and later established cooperative relations with head-sharing scooter operators in Tier, Voi, Whoosh, Swing and other major regions of the world, and entered overseas markets. Most of the shared electric scooter operators use Company 9 as the exclusive or first supplier.

The operating income announced by the company on the 9th a few days ago shows that at present the company mainly relies on electric two-wheelers and retail scooters. According to the semi-annual report of 2023, the income of electric two-wheeler products of company 9 in the first half of the year was 1.575 billion yuan, accounting for 35.97% of the business income, and the income of retail scooter products was 1.143 billion yuan, accounting for 26.10% of the business income.

At this stage, China's electric scooter industry chain has gradually matured. The upper reaches of the industrial chain are mainly parts and components industry, providing controllers, battery protection panels, batteries, chips, motors and other parts; the middle reaches are mainly the production industry of electric scooters, which are responsible for the production and manufacturing of different kinds of electric scooters; downstream is mainly online sales channels for consumers and offline sales channels such as official stores, large-scale merchant supermarkets and tram stores, which eventually flow to consumers.

However, due to the relevant policies and regulations have not yet been issued, mainly to go to sea. From January to May this year, Shenzhen exported 1.39 billion yuan of electric scooters, an increase of 16.7 percent over the same period last year, according to Shenzhen Customs.

In Europe, scooters used to have no right of way. According to Li Yan, there is no such category as electric bicycles in Europe, only scooters, E-Bike and electric motorcycles that can be used in bike lanes.

It is understood that at present, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, South Korea and Sweden and other countries have enacted relevant laws to allow electric scooters to legally hit the road, in addition, Sweden and Italy provide subsidies for electric scooters.

In fact, the Mavericks' journey to sea has gone through nearly seven years. Li Yan said that Mavericks settled in Amazon.Com Inc to lay out cross-border e-commerce in 2022. Chinese brands go abroad, to overcome "local disobedience" is the key, each place has its own customs and customs, as well as local consumer demand. "for example, in view of the relatively large number of stone roads in European cities, we have made special improvements in shock absorption, tires and so on, and widened pedals and handles for European and American human bodies."

Domestic electric scooters still need to be standardized on the road.

Since the implementation of the "New National Standard" for electric vehicles, corresponding management policies have been issued for the management of two-wheeled electric vehicles all over the country. Although the electric scooter has a manufacturing standard document for the industry, but the electric scooter runs on the open road in China, there is no relevant legal basis.

Take Beijing as an example, the Beijing regulations on the Administration of non-Motor vehicles stipulates that electric bicycles that meet national standards shall implement a product catalogue system, and electric bicycles in the catalogue can be registered and licensed before they can be used on the road. The reporter inquired about the "Management Catalog" and found that no products in the form of electric scooters were included.

A person involved in legal work told the New consumption Daily: "how to punish electric scooters on the road varies from region to region. For example, according to regulations in Beijing, public security traffic administration departments may detain equipment and impose a fine of 200 yuan when balancing cars and scooters with power plants are used on roads."

"at present, electric scooters can only be driven on closed roads," Wang Hua (a pseudonym), an offline store clerk who sells electric scooters, told New Consumer Daily. "if you want to buy one to walk in your own yard or in the basement, it's just the right size to fit in the trunk of the car."

The reporter learned from the shop assistant Wang Hua that some consumers who buy electric scooters will use electric scooters to go to Fengnest or the doorman to collect express delivery or takeout in the community. "some customers will put it in the park. The electric scooter is very practical when checking the instrument meter and valve switch in the park. " Wang Hua added.

Compared with electric bicycles, electric scooters are smaller and lighter because of their simpler structure and smaller tires, and are more convenient in connecting to parking lots, residential gates, and even ultra-short-distance transportation such as bus stations and subway stations.

Liu Miao, CTO of No. 9 company, believes that electric scooter is an effective supplement to the new GB two-wheel. it is a tool to help pedestrians, and it is irreplaceable to some extent because of its special application.

In August this year, the first national standard for electric scooters, the General Technical Specification for Electric Scooters, was officially released, which stipulated the requirements, test methods and instructions for electric scooters.

It is understood that the specification was jointly drafted by Wuxi Inspection and Certification Research Institute, Shanghai Electrical Appliance Research Institute, China Bicycle Association, Beijing Machinery Industry Automation Research Institute Co., Ltd., No. 9 Company and other industry associations and production enterprises.

Liu Miao told the New Consumer Daily: "the formulation of technical standards can at least give the industry an opportunity to allow users to enjoy real benefits." Overall, the industry is growing, which can be used as a reference from our data in previous quarters. "

Xiong Yanwu, a researcher at the Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, told the New Consumer Daily: "in the transportation system, short traffic is called slow traffic system."Combined with the practice of overseas developed public transport cities, some research institutions have found that slow traffic can improve the traffic environment and achieve sustainable traffic patterns. In addition to walking and cycling, it has a broad prospect."

He believes that at present, the management of domestic electric scooters is still in its infancy and is not yet regarded as a means of transportation, and it needs to be promoted through continuous efforts in order to be integrated into the slow traffic system planning of the whole country.