China’s Segway-Ninebot loves its affordable little electric mopeds, which it often debuts domestically before releasing international versions in the US and Europe. The company’s latest model, the Ninebot A30C, was just released and comes packed with high-tech features and a low-tech price.
Ninebot A30C electric moped launched
The Ninebot A30C carries a similar look to past Ninebot electric mopeds, such as the C80 model that we covered previously.
Now the new A30C model is adding upgrades and extra features while sticking with a low price of just RMB 2,299 (approximately US$350).
The small electric moped features a single seat for one passenger, but appears to offer both a front and rear child seat accessory.
That customization could allow an adult to ride with up to two small children, replacing a typical family car for common trips like dropping kids off at daycare.
A 48V and 12Ah lithium-ion battery offers 576 Wh of capacity, which the company claims is sufficient for 40 km (25 miles of range).
Considering the Ninebot A30C is marketed as a purely urban transport tool, that range is likely sufficient for most riders.
The top speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) is the maximum allowed by law for electric bicycles in China. And speaking of electric bicycles, that’s exactly what the A30C is… technically speaking.
It features functional pedals that qualify it as an e-bike and thus allow riders to operate it without any additional car or motorcycle driving license.
Even though it is technically an electric bicycle, the design encourages riders to use the foot rest and scooter-style deck for resting their feet, meaning the pedals are mostly for show. If the battery ever ran dry before a rider reached home, the pedals could likely still be used to move the A30C along at a slow pace.
The 54 kg (119 lb) moped may be cheaply priced at just $350, but it actually packs in some very interesting components.
Not only is it a full-suspension electric moped designed for comfort, but it includes additional features like regenerative braking, an NFC card for keyless unlocking and ignition, password protection to allow electronic key sharing with friends, over-the-air updates and cloud-based telemetrics that can monitor and report on the moped remotely via an included smartphone app.
The Ninebot A30C is expected to be followed by A40 and A65 models, which will likely offer performance upgrades such as larger batteries.
For now the electric moped is only available in China, but Ninebot has usually followed these Chinese releases with American and European versions several months later.
That’s exactly what happened with the last ultra-affordable electric moped offered by Ninebot, which was introduced for US customers with a higher speed limit.
If the trend continues, there’s a chance we could see these small Asian-style electric mopeds zipping around the streets of New York or Paris later this year.
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
