Leading e-bike maker Yadea reveals new $350 e-bike at the world’s largest bike show

Yadea, the largest e-bike and e-scooter maker in the world, recently showed off a new small-format folding e-bike at China Cycle 2024, also known as the China International Bike Fair.

The new Yadea UFO S featured prominently in the brand’s booth, marking a major redesign of Yadea’s previous UFO mini-folding electric bike.

The UFO S, which rides on small 14″ x 2.125″ tires, is designed for urban commuters who prioritize a compact, folding vehicle that can be easily taken on the bus or train, yet still offers a pedal-friendly ride.

The rear hub motor isn’t exactly a powerhouse, maxing out at just 420W of peak power from a 250W nominal setup. However, it can still climb slopes of up to 17% grade.

It just won’t do it very fast, as the flat land speed is limited to 25 km/h (15.5 mph), which keeps it within European and Asian speed limits for electric bikes.

That’s not going to set any land speed records, but will still zip past gridlock traffic while taking the bike lane.

Launching first in China this summer, the Yadea UFO S is expected to carry an MSRP of under 2,500 RMB (approximately US $350). Yadea has launched several of its e-bikes and e-scooters in the North American market, though the company hasn’t decided if the UFO S will be joining them just yet.

If it does make the hop over to the US, the bike’s price will likely increase slightly, though Yadea has managed to keep its prices fairly low when launching new products in the US.

The recently released Yadea Artist electric scooter, which features a full-suspension design, launched at just $499 last month.

That electric scooter also has two larger and more powerful cousins, the Yadea Elite Max and Yadea Elite Prime. Together, the three models of electric scooters comprise the company’s newest lineup of full-suspension standing electric scooters launched for the US market.

The company also offers two models of electric bikes in the US, the 20″ wheel folding Innovator and the fat tire moped-style Trooper e-bike.

A third model, the Yadea Cocoa, is designed for utility use and is set to enter the US market soon.

I recently had the chance to test out several of these models firsthand while visiting one of Yadea’s global factories in Anhui, China.

The company did not yet have the UFO S model available at the time, but I did test out all three of the full-suspension electric scooters, as well as several e-bikes and e-mopeds.

Yadea’s large-format electric three-wheelers were a special treat, designed to carry several passengers or up to 1,500 kg (3,300 pounds) of cargo. But don’t get too excited for the trikes; the company doesn’t have any current plans to bring those vehicles to the North American market anytime soon.

Still, it’s worth checking out my test ride video below, where you’ll also get a look inside their factory to see how the vehicles are built.