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VM Interview with Niu CEO Yan Li: Even a Car Country Can Be Enthused About Micromobility
VM: Germany as a car country is a challenging terrain for a greater spread of e-scooters/e-scooters. How do you plan to advance with Niu here?
Yan Li: Germany's automotive history is iconic. We see our commitment in Germany more as an opportunity than as competition. NIU aims to complement the existing mobility ecosystem with its products by offering agile, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternatives. Germany was the first international market that NIU entered in 2016, and it is now our largest in Europe. Around 50 percent of all NIU users in Europe are from Germany.
This is clear evidence that with an outstanding product offering, consumers can be excited about micro-mobility and corresponding means of transport even in a car country like Germany.
VM: What role can e-scooters play in the mobility transition in cities? How do you assess the potential of e-scooters?
Yan Li: E-scooters and e-mopeds are fundamentally changing urban mobility. They are perfect means of transportation for short distances or even for the "last mile" when e-scooters are used as a link to public transport.
By combining these means of transport, commuters in the city can avoid traffic jams and save time – turning a one-hour car journey into a relaxed 20-minute trip. As more and more people switch from cars to e-scooters/e-mopeds, traffic congestion decreases and road resources are freed up. The electric drive significantly reduces the carbon footprint of daily commuting compared to gasoline-powered vehicles.
Even more interesting is the comparison between e-scooters/mopeds and electric cars, as they are eight times more energy-efficient. This means that with 1 kWh of electrical energy, the distance covered is eight times greater compared to electric cars.
Finally, riding e-scooters/motorcycles is also a lot of fun, turning the tedious daily commute into an enjoyable outing.
VM: Do you see greater potential in private ownership of an e-scooter or in sharing systems?
Yan Li: The future of e-mobility is diverse, and we at NIU are positioning ourselves accordingly. Private ownership offers the convenience of always having a scooter available. On the other hand, sharing offers, such as those of our partners Emmy and Suwag Energy in Germany, provide more flexibility through on-demand use. We also work with Dance in Berlin, which offers a subscription model and thus a middle ground between private ownership and sharing. Another NIU partner is Grover, which offers a rental model that brings even more flexibility for consumers.
VM: More and more providers are entering the market. How does NIU plan to differentiate itself, where do you see the unique selling points, what makes a NIU?
Yan Li: NIU products impress with outstanding design and technology solutions that have enabled us to develop a product range that covers all the needs of urban mobility. We are the only urban mobility provider to have won all major design awards for two products (Red Dot, iF, Good Design, IDEA, DFA, Golden Pin, Red Star). Our latest product (currently only available in China), the compact electric motorcycle SQi, even won the Red Dot Design Award.
As far as technology is concerned, we have created the category of smart mopeds with lithium-ion batteries. In addition, NIU has further advanced the development of smart Internet of Things (IoT), such as through fully connected e-mopeds, a completely keyless operation, and optimized drive systems for more speed and range.
Supported by our excellent design and technological capabilities, we offer a broad product range for every need - from e-kick scooters to e-bikes, e-mopeds, and e-motorcycles. This makes us one of the few genuine full-range providers for mobility.
VM: Besides acquisition, service & maintenance play a major role in Germany. How is NIU positioned here?
Yan Li: We have a robust and well-developed network of service centers in Germany, with over 200 retail stores and after-sales points in 100 cities. We aim to make the customer experience with NIU products as seamless as possible - from purchase to post-purchase customer support.
VM: E-scooter instead of e-car: Scooters hardly play a role in corporate fleets either. How does NIU see this and are there leasing offers?
Yan Li: We are actively seeking partnerships with companies to make e-mopeds a viable option for corporate fleets. We are also working with partners who offer business leasing options tailored to the needs of companies. We see great potential in these markets.
VM: Besides pure usage, durability, production, and recycling play an important role in the sustainability of a product. How is this taken into account at NIU?
Yan Li: Sustainability is at the core of NIU's mission. From production to recycling, we adhere to environmentally friendly practices. Our scooters are designed for longevity, and we are researching ways to make them even more recyclable. By the way, our users have so far covered 20 billion kilometers worldwide on NIU products, which equates to a reduction of 4.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, had that distance been traveled by gasoline cars.
VM: What are NIU's further plans in terms of light e-mobility? Could there also be NIU-branded pedelecs, e-cargo bikes, or e-trikes in Germany – or maybe even an L7e vehicle someday?
Yan Li: We are researching a range of light e-mobility solutions. I can't reveal everything, but we definitely have some exciting projects in the pipeline. Just recently, we presented our latest kick-scooters, the NIU KQi Air X and KQi Air, at the IFA in Berlin.
These lightweight models are made from carbon fiber, weigh only 11.7 kg, and have a range of about 50 km - a real game-changer for urban commuting.
VM: Where do you see the greatest technological potential – or is the e-scooter already as good as "fully developed"?
Yan Li: E-mopeds and e-scooters have come a long way, but there is still plenty of room for innovation.
In Europe, currently, less than 10 percent of sold mopeds/motorcycles are electric.
We see potential for innovation in battery and propulsion technologies for higher speeds, greater ranges, lower weight, and lower costs. Additionally, intelligent functions or even autonomous driving features that will further improve rider safety and usage comfort in the future. To advance development in these areas, we rely on internal research and development, but also collaborate with industry partners.
Translated automatically from German.
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