Final month I used to be lucky sufficient to make a journey to China and go to seven completely different micromobility corporations, every of which invited me to tour their manufacturing unit, take a look at out their new merchandise, or attend their main occasions. The journey is one thing of a sequel to the first Chinese language manufacturing unit tour journey I took final yr (with the documentary of that journey racking up tens of millions of views on YouTube).
Within the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing detailed articles and movies about every of the next visits. However within the meantime, contemplate this as a preview of what’s to return.
Bafang manufacturing unit tour
Bafang is probably the perfect identified Chinese language electrical bicycle part producer. The corporate is extensively regarded for its motors, which have been its flagship merchandise for over a decade. Everybody within the e-bike trade is aware of that if you’d like a strong motor (and don’t wish to pay for a German motor), you go to Bafang.
However because it seems, Bafang makes just about all the pieces else on an e-bike too, now even together with the batteries.
Lengthy-time followers of my articles and movies may do not forget that I truly took a tour of Bafang’s manufacturing unit all the way in which again in 2019. The corporate has since expanded to a a lot bigger manufacturing unit and the manufacturing processes have additionally improved. That was a very fascinating aspect of my go to, having the prospect to see simply how a lot has modified within the final 5 years.
For instance, automation has helped exchange lots of the jobs beforehand completed by hand within the manufacturing and meeting strains for parts like motors and controllers. Nonetheless, the working setting has improved significantly for sure duties like advantageous soldering which might be nonetheless completed by extremely skilled palms. The older fume hoods that when hung over workstations with the intention to filter out soldering exhaust have now been moved into the work surfaces, that means that as an alternative of soldering fumes rising up previous the nostril of the employee on the way in which to vents, the gases at the moment are sucked downwards and out to the filters. What was as soon as an answer to guard everybody besides for the fast employee is now an answer to guard everybody.
The battery manufacturing unit was one other attention-grabbing a part of the go to, as batteries are one of many latest parts added to Bafang’s rapidly increasing lineup.
The method is very automized. First, particular person battery cells are sorted by machines into essentially the most comparable resistances, then grouped into modules which might be ultrasonically welded collectively. Human palms return to the equation with the meeting of the battery modules into the instances, after which the batteries are despatched for inspection on the finish of the meeting line.
Earlier than the batteries could be packaged for cargo although, each single pack is put by a cost and discharge cycle to check for anomalies. Large racks run down the hallways with a whole bunch of batteries at a time present process testing.
Different new improvements that Bafang has begun integrating into its product strains are its personal internally geared hubs with computerized transmissions in addition to hub motors with built-in transmissions. One downside that has plagued the e-bike trade is the usage of current transmission parts that weren’t meant for high-power motors however relatively human leg energy. With Bafang growing its personal bicycle transmissions which might be designed to work with increased steady energy present in electrical bikes, reliability ought to see a major enchancment.
There’s much more the place that got here from although, so be sure to keep tuned for my full report from the manufacturing unit, coming quickly!
NIU Manufacturing unit Tour
I’ve ridden a NIU electrical moped since 2020 and have lengthy been a fan of the model, which is called a number one electrical good scooter model. The corporate’s designs have usually been imitated, however there’s no substitute for the true factor, particularly as NIU has quickly expanded its big selection of choices.
My tour began within the manufacturing unit showroom, which underscores simply how extensive that product line actually is. We’re used to seeing the corporate’s export merchandise, however there’s an much more numerous lineup of home electrical two-wheelers designed for the Chinese language market.
From there, we moved to the manufacturing unit ground the place scooters are assembled. Flying conveyor programs with hanging part cabinets are pre-loaded with all of the components vital for constructing these scooters, permitting line employees to pluck off the mandatory parts as they float by at every stage of the meeting course of.
The scooters go collectively surprisingly rapidly as they transfer down the road, with take a look at riders ready for them to roll off the ultimate ramp. After the scooters are inspected and test-ridden, they’re ultimately moved into an enormous storage warehouse and loaded onto vans for delivery all around the nation and export to worldwide sellers.
In one other a part of the manufacturing unit I noticed the standing electrical scooters present process comparable processes, with an meeting line conveying the scooters alongside as employees assembling them forward of intensive rider inspections and take a look at rides.
I additionally had the prospect to check journey a number of of NIU’s electrical autos, from the standing electrical kickscooters to their increased velocity mopeds and full-size electrical bikes, to even the corporate’s Sur Ron-competitor electrical filth bike.
That bike, the street-legal NIU XQi3, was impressively highly effective, and I needed to be cautious to maintain the entrance wheel down when rolling off the road.
I’ll nonetheless all the time be keen on the corporate’s mopeds although, or “seated electrical scooters” relying on how true to the time period moped you’d wish to be. As a lot enjoyable as electrical bikes and filth bikes could be, there’s one thing so utilitarian a few seated electrical scooter that makes it the right automobile substitute for me.
EUNORAU Headquarters Tour
I’ve been driving EUNORAU electrical bikes for years and years, however this was my first probability to lastly meet the workforce behind the bikes. I visited their headquarters close to Hangzhou and took a tour by lots of the firm’s previous, current and future e-bikes, together with fashions nonetheless within the works.
From there, I visited their operations heart the place the corporate has a big warehouse stocked with nearly all the pieces you could possibly ever must service and help e-bikes. Along with EUNORAU’s Las Vegas service heart, the corporate is able to ship out components from its headquarters when vital.
I even received a glance behind the scenes on the firm’s new BKRE service, which is extra essential than ever with the rising variety of e-bike firm closures. Mainly, BKRE shares lots of the components utilized in widespread electrical bikes from corporations which have folded. Which means homeowners of these e-bikes could have someplace to show sooner or later in the event that they want help. Looking for a random controller or show could be practically inconceivable with out understanding the precise factories these components come from. With its deep community of connections within the e-bike manufacturing trade, EUNORAU can discover substitute components for practically any electrical bike made in China.
They inventory lots of these components already on a number of rows of cabinets of their warehouse. For components they don’t have already got readily available, homeowners can contact BKRE and optimistically, the precise half could be present in a couple of days and despatched out anyplace on the planet.
Final however not least, I wasn’t about to depart with out the prospect to journey a bunch of EUNORAU’s electrical bikes.
I had all the pieces from the brand new model of the corporate’s fats tire electrical trike to triple-battery electrical bikes to four-wheeled electrical quad bikes at my disposal.
I zipped across the space of town they had been positioned in on a number of of the corporate’s e-bikes, testing out the brand new parts and enhancements which have come from listening to the suggestions of hundreds of consumers.
There’s much more to return although, so be looking out for my deep dive article and video on the expertise!
Yadea Retail Vendor Present
This was completely wild! The final time I used to be in China, I visited one among Yadea’s huge factories. Yadea is the world’s largest electrical automobile producer. They make all the pieces from gentle electrical scooters for recreation and commuting to heavy-duty electrical trikes for industrial use. However their important merchandise are seated electrical scooters, of which they produce tens of millions.
This time, Yadea invited me to attend the corporate’s Retail Vendor Present. There have been over 4,000 sellers there, principally from China but additionally from all all over the world. The present was completely huge!
Along with the massive attendance, Yadea had examples of lots of the numerous fashions of electrical autos they produce. I noticed some acquainted fashions but additionally skilled dozens of fashions I’d by no means seen earlier than.
From Sur Ron-style electrical filth bikes to Vespa-style vintage-looking electrical seated scooters, Yadea had all of it there. I even checked out the corporate’s new sodium-ion batteries and quick charging expertise, which may very well be an enormous recreation changer for longer-lasting, safer batteries.
The sheer selection seen on the present was mind-blowing. I’ve lined electrical automobile corporations for years, attended dozens of commerce exhibits, and test-ridden actually a whole bunch of autos. However I’ve by no means seen a single producer with such a breadth of autos as this.
Dahon Headquarters Go to
Dahon wasn’t the primary to invent a folding bicycle, however the firm was one of many earliest to popularize them with commercialized fashions. The corporate’s first folding bikes, launched in 1984, are nonetheless extremely wanted, and surviving examples carry excessive costs on the resale market. Extra lately, Dahon has expanded its extensive line of folding bicycles to incorporate many several types of folding electrical bikes.
I toured Dahon’s showroom to see lots of the soon-to-be-released fashions that can land in dealerships later this Spring. Speaking to the workforce, I realized extra about what makes Dahon’s folding e-bikes so particular, together with a concentrate on body rigidity that helps cut back that telltale flexy feeling on many folding bikes available in the market.
After testing the brand new lineup of Dahon folding e-bikes within the showroom, I headed outdoors to expertise them firsthand. From ultra-lightweight e-bikes to a brand new electrical gravel e-bike and even a heavy-duty electrical tricycle for carrying cargo and youngsters, the Dahon fashions had been a blast to journey.
Ending up the go to, the workforce took me on a night group journey that they get pleasure from a number of occasions a month as an opportunity for the group to spend time driving collectively on the great bicycle trails round Shenzhen.
Zhenmin golf cart manufacturing unit tour
Zhenmin gave me entry to their total manufacturing unit to see how electrical golf carts and neighborhood electrical autos are produced. The corporate builds a variety of fashions and begins from the bottom up, welding frames and fabricating our bodies proper there within the manufacturing unit.
The method is basically handbook, with employees hand-forming and welding the assorted parts.
Lots of the firm’s fashions are exported to India, whereas others are bought in numerous nations in Asia and South America.
The warehouse for accomplished golf carts ready to ship out was huge, with a whole bunch if not hundreds of models ready in numerous packaging phases for his or her journeys.
As with lots of my different visits, I used to be blissful to take the chance for some take a look at rides. I began with a lifted electrical golf cart constructed for a US-based firm (although I needed to cowl the model’s logos). I can’t inform you which one, however I’ll be excited to see them convey this beast of a golf cart to market. It’s extremely highly effective, to the purpose that I virtually threw myself out the facet of it on a pointy flip.
I additionally tried smaller and fewer beast-like machines, together with these designed for aged riders. They had been enjoyable in their very own means, and there’s one thing good about not having centrifugal forces preventing over your limbs. There’s positively nonetheless a spot available in the market for modest neighborhood electrical autos!
Heybike Alpha take a look at journey
Additionally in Shenzhen, I had the chance to go to Heybike’s new headquarters. The corporate lately moved into a brand new Shenzhen workplace, and their workforce is clearly fairly blissful about all the additional house. There wasn’t an excessive amount of to see inside but, so as an alternative we spent many of the go to testing out the corporate’s new Heybike Alpha electrical bike.
It was simply unveiled at CES and is the model’s first mid-drive electrical bike. The highly effective motor proved to be extremely torquey, serving to me climb up each filth and concrete hills with ease. I might even climb stairs on the bike!
The fats tires make fast work of each on-road and off-road surfaces, and mid-drive motor with included torque sensor is a pleasure to make use of. Nonetheless, you positively have to be cautious with it as a result of the acute torque of the motor requires some care when shifting to go straightforward on that drivetrain.
We don’t know the ultimate worth of the Heybike Alpha on the time of writing, however it’s anticipated to be one of the inexpensive mid-drive electrical journey bikes in the marketplace, serving to to proceed Heybike’s technique of worth pricing on the corporate’s current line of numerous types of electrical bikes.
I’ve already shared my take a look at driving video on that bike, so be sure to test it out right here!
Keep tuned for extra!
Be sure to test again over the following month or in order I launch a devoted article and video on every of those visits.
The journey was an eye-opening expertise, and I hope to offer you all that very same feeling of going behind the scenes to see what goes into these autos that we so generally use every day!
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