The German automaker Volkswagen will start producing electric scooters together with the Chinese startup Niu.
The first model of the Streetmate high-speed scooter was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. The maximum speed of the scooter will be 45 km/h, and the travel range without recharging will be up to 60 kilometers.
The Chinese company Niu, founded in 2014, has produced about 640,000 electric scooters to date. In 2018 alone, the company's sales grew by almost 80 percent. Niu's domestic market share is about 40 percent.
Cooperation with Chinese companies for German automakers has recently become a kind of fashion trend. Volkswagen also plans to open its platform for the development of electric vehicles and other vehicles to third-party manufacturers, and is currently collaborating with American Ford in various fields. In turn, Ford, which acquired electric scooter maker Spin for $40 million, operates fleets of electric scooters that can be rented through mobile services Uber and Lyft.
Seat, a subsidiary of VW, is also planning to launch its electric scooter rental service. Approximately 530 eXS scooters will be offered for rent in Madrid during the trial period. In total, Seat has already sold more than 5,000 copies. BMW has been selling the X2City electric scooter for around $2,500 since 2017
