NIU launches new lighter, stronger carbon fiber electric scooters
NIU, the Beijing-based power player in the electric scooter market, has just released a pair of new electric scooters. Unlike the moped-style rides that the company is most famous for, these are standing scooters. Meet the NIU KQi Air and KQi Air X.
Crafted of a carbon fiber frame, the KQi Air X tips the scales at just 25.8 lb (11.7 kg). For a ride that can hit 20 mph (32 km/h), that’s pretty impressive.
Or at least, it’s impressive for Americans. If you’re in Europe then you’ll have a lower 25 km/h speed limit. And if you’re in Germany, you’ve got a double foul with an even lower 20 km/h limit (that’s 12 mph in screamin’ eagle freedom units). Well, at least you can enjoy your extra long range!
The scooters have a maximum range of between 28-31 miles (45-50 km), depending which spec sheet or website page you believe. That’s thanks to the relatively large 451 Wh LG battery. But of course you’re only going to get that awesome range if you’re sticking to slower speeds. So ride like a German if you want to go far, apparently.
Both the KQi Air and KQi Air X have a 350W motor rated for 700W of peak power and can climb a maximum grade of 20%. They ride on 9.5×2.3″ tires, feature front disc brakes and rear regenerative braking, a half-twist throttle, and both front and rear LED lighting. The front headlight is NIU’s signature halo light, and there are also turn signals built into the handlebar ends.
The scooters feature “5 hour fast charging”, which sounds like an oxymoron to me.
“Hey Jimmy, can you come out and ride?”
“Sorry fellas, I’ll have to meet you in five hours when my fast charger is done.”
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with a 5-hour recharge time. That’s pretty standard and most people simply charge overnight anyway. But let’s not play fast and loose with the word “fast”. Or “loose”, while we’re at it.
The NIU app, which works across NIU’s various models of standing scooters, seated scooters, bikes and motorcycles, allows riders to access features like NFC smart unlocking, ride stats, Bluetooth connectivity, over-the-air updates, and more. I use the NIU app for my own electric scooter (the seated variety) and it’s both slick and effective – not gimmicky.
As far as I can tell, the main difference between the two scooters unveiled today is that the non-X version is 0.4 pounds (180 grams) heavier, and also comes with a red or white on black colorway. The ever-so-slightly lighter KQi Air X benefits from an entirely carbon fiber frame (as opposed to a carbon and magnesium/aluminum frame), and comes in a gold on black colorway.
Oh, and there’s a price difference too. The KQi Air has an MSRP of US $1,399 while the KQi Air X comes in at US $1,799. It looks like there will be an early-bird promotion when pre-orders open on September 19, dropping the price to just US $949.
Electrek’s Take
Oh. My. God. A half-twist throttle! There’s a lot to like here but I’m nerding out over perhaps the simplest feature of the entire scooter. There are four main types of throttles out there in the scooter world (full-twist, half-twist, thumb, index finger), but there’s only one correct throttle: half-twist.
Half twist throttles are simply superior. They allow you to keep all five fingers securely wrapped around the handle bar, aren’t effected by rough terrain that would have your thumb bouncing up and down on a thumb throttle, and offer the most control (twisting the hand is a much finer motor skill than wagging a thumb). And unlike full-twist throttles, they don’t have the danger of accidentally catching the bar end on an obstacle and activating the throttle. This is a hill I’m prepared to die on, and so I’m glad to see a half-twist throttle here.
Much of the rest of the scooter is also impressive to me. I love the lightweight design, and anyone who regularly carries their scooter up more than two or three steps will appreciate.
The only downside is the price. You get a lot here (NIU’s app connectivity is second to none, in my opinion), but damn those are some expensive prices. Especially when you’re not getting any suspension either, you better really love the NIU ecosystem.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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Environment
Podcast: Trump/GOP go after EV/solar, Tesla, Ford, GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Trump’s Big Beautiful bill becoming law and going after EVs and solar, Tesla, Ford, and GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
Today’s episode is brought to you by Bosch Mobility Aftermarket—A global leader and trusted provider of automotive aftermarket parts. To celebrate Amazon Prime Day July 8th through 11th, Bosch Mobility is offering exclusive savings on must-have auto parts and tools. Learn more here.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
- Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit
- Congress votes to send 2 million US jobs to China, increase deficit, energy costs
- Tesla (TSLA) confirms 384,000 deliveries in Q2 2025, right on expectations
- Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller
- Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries
- Tesla unveils its LFP battery factory, claims it’s almost ready
- Here’s why Ford’s electric vehicle sales crashed by nearly a third in Q2
- The Chevy Equinox EV is GM’s breakout star, but that’s not the only surprise
- Xpeng launches G7, a new Tesla Model Y competitor for just $27,000
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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