NIU launches a $100 scaled-down version of its electric scooter for kids
NIU’s electric scooters, mopeds, and e-bikes have been a hit with adults around the world. Now the company is bringing that same electrically powered fun to a younger audience with the launch of a new kids’ scooter known as the NIU NQi Mini.
The scooter takes the shape of NIU’s popular N-series electric scooters, but in a scaled-down format.
In fact, I happen to own the scooter that this is based on, and I can tell you that it does a pretty good job of paying homage to the original.
You’ll still find the signature and often-copied NIU styling, including that halo headlight and easily recognizable body shape, but there are now a pair of removable stabilizer wheels to helps younger kids learn their balance.
The scooter also features a somewhat more primitive power supply, replacing the lithium-ion batteries found in most of NIU’s foreign market scooters with a small 12V 4.5Ah lead acid battery. The company claims a run time of over an hour from that diminutive 54 Wh battery, though the high efficiency is likely thanks to the sluggish top speed of just 5 km/h (3 mph).
For a kids’ scooter, that slow speed might just be a good idea.
If you thought this was just going to be a bare-bones NIU look-a-like scooter, then you’re probably mostly correct. But there’s still some decent embedded tech such as a reverse gear, working LED lighting, and even a music player. The MP3 player can pull songs off a USB drive or an SD card to belt out a kid’s favorite tunes.
I don’t know about your neighborhood, but I don’t see little kids rolling around here with a pocketful of SD cards loaded with their favorite MP3s. But hey, maybe that’s a cultural difference.
Speaking of a cultural difference, most of you reading this article won’t be able to test out the NIU NQi Mini. That’s because it’s currently only available in China, where it has launched with an MSRP of 699 RMB (approximately US $103).
It’s not the first time we’ve seen companies launch kid-specific electric vehicles. The youth market has been a favorite of companies like Razor, which has created ride-on electric scooters and mini dirt bikes for kids.
Tesla also teamed up with Radio Flyer to launch the Cyberquad for Kids ride-on ATV, complete with Tesla design mimicking the Tesla Cyberquad concept vehicle.
Electric bicycle makers have also created pedal-assist e-bikes designed for younger riders, getting kids started with throttle-less electric bikes from a young age.
Electrek’s Take
There’s always some pushback when we cover EVs designed for kids, with the argument usually being that they should be out there pedaling a bike instead of riding an electric scooter.
I don’t disagree, but I also think that fun toys like these can be valuable for kids. Not only do they help teach balance skills (when you remove the training wheels), but they also help educate kids about the benefits of EVs from an early age. When you grow up with a quiet, relaxing, and zippy electric scooter, it’s hard to see a noisy, smelly, and constantly breaking-down gas motorbike as a positive thing.
So I say let the kids have their fun, as long as they’re also getting some solid saddle time in on a “real” bike.
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China just laid out a plan to roll out over 100,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations by 2027 – and they’ll all be open to the public.
The National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) joint notice, issued on Monday, asks local authorities to put together construction plans for highway service areas and prioritize the ones that see 40% or more usage during holiday travel rushes.
The NDRC notes that China’s ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure needs upgrading as more 800V EVs hit the road. Those high-voltage platforms can handle super-fast charging in as little as 10 to 30 minutes, but only if the charging hardware is up to speed.
China had 31.4 million EVs on the road at the end of 2024 – nearly 9% of the country’s total vehicle fleet. But charging access is still catching up. As of May 2025, there were 14.4 million charging points, or roughly 1 for every 2.2 EVs.
To keep the grid running smoothly, China wants new chargers to be smart, with dynamic pricing to incentivize off-peak charging and solar and storage to power the charging stations.
To make the business side work, the government is pushing for 10-year leases for charging station operators, and it’s backing the buildout with local government bonds.
The NDRC emphasized that the DC fast chargers built will be open to the public. This is a big deal because a lot of fast chargers in China aren’t. For example, BYD’s new megawatt chargers aren’t open to third-party vehicles.
As of September 2024, China had expanded its charging infrastructure to 11.4 million EV chargers, but only 3.3 million were public.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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Tesla is starting to experience some consequences for misleading Full Self Driving customers – at least that’s the finding of one arbitration ruling that has Tesla refunding one customer $10,000 plus legal fees for failing to deliver on their promises. Find out more on today’s legally challenging episode of Quick Charge!
An arbitration “court” found that Tesla misled customers with its Full Self Driving product, and has now been forced to refund at least one person’s $10,000 payment (plus legal fees) for the not-quite autonomous driving software. France, too, is piling on claims of deceptive business practices – but there’s some good news for FSD fans! If you’re still willing to pay for it, Tesla will thrown in 0% financing on a brand new Cybertruck.
Check out the relevant links, below, to learn more.
Source Links
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