One unit costs 30,000 yuan. Workers can't afford an electric scooter.

The intelligentization of new energy vehicles has become the industry standard, and electric two - wheelers are also starting to catch up with this trend. Currently, electric two - wheeler brands such as Tailing, Ninebot, Yadea, and Niu are continuously making efforts in the field of intelligentization, and have launched intelligent electric vehicles, some even equipped with unmanned driving technology.

At the South China International Electric Vehicle Exhibition held not long ago, an electric vehicle equipped with unmanned intelligent driving technology displayed by Tailing was already able to autonomously handle complex road conditions and complete operations such as automatic reverse parking. Among the mass - produced models on the market, functions such as Bluetooth unlocking, voice wake - up, navigation projection, and assisted driving are already common.

Undoubtedly, the addition of these intelligent functions does make the riding experience more convenient and comfortable. However, on the other hand, the vehicle price has increased significantly. A Niu store owner said that, with the same basic parameters, the price of mainstream intelligent models on the market is about 30% higher than that of ordinary electric vehicles.

As a two - wheeled vehicle powered by a battery with an average speed of about 25 miles per hour, electric vehicles precisely meet the needs of short - distance travel with their characteristics of convenience, high efficiency, and low usage cost, and have become a popular commuting tool for workers.

However, as manufacturers compete in intelligent upgrades, this once affordable means of transportation is becoming more and more expensive, turning into a "luxury" that workers can't afford.

Electric Two - Wheelers' Intelligentization Catches Up with New Energy Vehicles

Once, you could easily buy an electric two - wheeler with good performance, long - range, and high - quality for 3,000 yuan. Now, vehicles at this price level can only be considered "cost - effective models". The increase in the price threshold is clearly reflected in the car - changing experience of consumer Wang Yu.

Four years ago, Wang Yu spent 1,500 yuan to buy a second - hand electric vehicle on Xianyu for commuting. Recently, he wanted to take advantage of the national subsidy policy to buy a new car and visited the stores of Yadea, Aima, Niu, and Ninebot. After the visits, he only had two feelings: one was that the cars were really expensive, and the other was that he couldn't understand many of the functions.

In his inherent perception, electric two - wheelers were just vehicles that could run as long as you inserted the key and there was power. However, in reality, color - screen navigation, in - car audio, keyless start, APP remote control, ABS anti - lock braking system... These unfamiliar functions are constantly refreshing his perception and complicating his idea of buying a practical vehicle.

This gap between price and function is more obvious in specific models. Take the Niu flagship store on JD.com as an example. The cheapest F100 costs 2,399 yuan after discounts, while the most expensive RQI costs up to 32,980 yuan. The owner of a Niu store in Beijing told Tech Planet that, apart from the differences in hardware such as motors and batteries, the biggest difference lies in the vehicle's intelligentization.

According to the salesperson of the Niu store, as the price increases, the intelligent configuration of the vehicle will be upgraded step by step. For models priced around 6,000 yuan, the intelligentization is mainly reflected in the vehicle - machine projection navigation, vehicle - machine interconnection, and basic riding assistance; for models priced close to 10,000 yuan, more efforts are made in safety intelligence, such as being equipped with automotive - grade millimeter - wave radar to achieve blind - spot monitoring and collision warning.

Although it can't achieve the full - scale intelligence of cars, the intelligentization competition among two - wheelers has already reached a white - hot stage. This is not only Niu's choice but also the consensus of the entire electric two - wheeler industry.

Now, intelligent connectivity has become the standard. Leading brands such as Yadea, Aima, Ninebot, Niu, Tailing, and Sunra have all equipped their intelligent models with exclusive APPs, through which users can complete operations such as unlocking, vehicle condition monitoring, and trajectory query on their mobile phones.

The owner of a Yadea store told Tech Planet, "Yadea has already equipped all the basic intelligent functions that Niu and Ninebot have." A salesperson from an Aima store said that the application of vehicle - machine interconnection is already very mature.

Currently, the competition among manufacturers is shifting from "whether there is intelligence" to "how strong the intelligence is".

This signal of the upgrade competition is particularly obvious in Ninebot's actions this year. Its launched Ninebot SIGHT (Ninebot AI Visual Assistance System) is equipped with three cameras, which can achieve functions such as high - definition driving record, forward collision warning, blind - spot monitoring, and lane departure warning.

Although no mass - produced models are currently equipped with this system, its appearance has pushed the intelligent assistance ability of two - wheelers to a new height. An industry insider said that limited by size, cost, and usage scenarios, electric two - wheelers cannot replicate the full - scale intelligentization of cars, but this does not prevent them from finding an intelligent path more suitable for their own characteristics.

Software Maintenance, System Upgrade Renewal, Continuous Harvest

Intelligentization makes electric vehicles "smarter" but hurts the wallets of workers.

Wang Yu finally bought an electric vehicle from Niu for less than 6,500 yuan. "Before buying, my budget was no more than 3,500 yuan, but after looking around, my budget unconsciously increased."

He told Tech Planet that the new car is indeed more intelligent than his previous one. He can unlock it with his mobile phone without carrying a key and can also check the vehicle's location in real - time through the APP. However, apart from that, there doesn't seem to be any other practical use. "As for functions like connecting the vehicle to the Bluetooth and playing music externally, it's quite embarrassing, and I hardly use them."

It's worth noting that the premium brought by intelligentization is just the beginning. Subsequent software maintenance, system upgrades, and the repair of intelligent components are heavier hidden costs that continuously test the wallets of workers.

Recently, the quiet price increase of Niu's RuiZhi VIP service has caused many users to complain. This value - added service for intelligent vehicle users supports functions such as vehicle positioning, real - time trajectory, battery management, and intelligent anti - theft through the App. New car purchases usually come with a one - year service, and users need to pay for renewal after the expiration. Otherwise, they won't be able to view information such as the vehicle's location and remaining range. If they don't renew within 90 days, some functions will be permanently disabled.

Some users on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu have reported that the annual fee for RuiZhi VIP was only 38 yuan in the early days, and 99 yuan for three years. Now, they found that the price has increased to 69 yuan a year and 159 yuan for three years when renewing. A Niu owner who reluctantly renewed the service recently told Tech Planet, "If I can't use these intelligent functions now, what's the difference between it and an ordinary car?"

It's not just Niu. Traditional brands such as Yadea and Aima, as well as new players like Jike and Ninebot, also adopt the model of charging for intelligent services. An industry insider revealed that OTA paid upgrades have become a revenue - generating method in the industry: "Although users complain a lot, the actual renewal rate is not low."

In addition, the maintenance cost of intelligent models is significantly higher than that of ordinary models.

A user who repaired the side stand of a Niu electric vehicle told Tech Planet that since the side stand has a built - in sensor and is connected to the vehicle switch, its maintenance cost is much higher than that of ordinary models. When his side stand sensor malfunctioned, he spent 100 yuan on replacement and labor fees, which is several times the cost of repairing an ordinary side stand. Another user who encountered a problem with a water - damaged screen mentioned that replacing an intelligent screen cost him 400 yuan, which is much higher than the screen repair cost of ordinary models.

These accumulated costs turn the premium at the time of purchase into a continuous expense throughout the vehicle - using process. For workers who commute by electric vehicle, buying a car is originally for convenience and affordability. However, now the intelligent functions bring not only convenience but also a real burden.

High - Margin Premium, Intelligentization Becomes the Killer Weapon

Data from Guosheng Securities shows that by the end of April 2025, the domestic stock of electric two - wheelers had exceeded 420 million. That means one in every three people owns an electric two - wheeler, and its scale has long surpassed that of cars.

Behind the large stock is the reality of a saturated market, and the competition has become increasingly fierce. In this context, vehicle manufacturers are competing fiercely in terms of appearance, high - end positioning, and design sense. Even configurations such as intelligentization and lithium - ion batteries, which were once exclusive to high - end models, are gradually being applied to ordinary models and becoming the standard.

An industry insider revealed that most two - wheeler enterprises follow the assembly production route, and the upstream raw materials are diverse; consumers pay more attention to the basic commuting function, and the premium space of the products themselves is limited. Coupled with the large number of SKUs and the lack of obvious scale effect, the gross profit margin of the industry is not high.

This industry situation makes it even more difficult to find premium space in an already competitive market. Therefore, in this red - ocean market, in order to obtain more premium, intelligentization has become the core bargaining chip for manufacturers to attract consumers.

Comparing new players like Ninebot and Niu with traditional brands, the former has set a significant price gap with their intelligentization labels. Although the sales volume of Ninebot and Niu is lower than that of some peers, their average ex - factory prices are far ahead. In 2024, the average ex - factory price of Ninebot's two - wheelers was about 2,774 yuan per vehicle, and that of Niu exceeded 3,200 yuan per vehicle; while for traditional brands like Yadea, the average unit price of electric bicycles was 1,347 yuan per vehicle.

This price difference is also directly reflected in the gross profit margin. In 2024, the gross profit margin of Ninebot's electric two - wheeler business was 21.1%, while that of Yadea was 15.2%. The premium advantage brought by intelligentization is evident.

The above - mentioned industry insider said that intelligentization is inevitably accompanied by the high - end positioning of product strategies. In recent years, Ninebot and Niu have launched high - end models priced over 10,000 yuan, and traditional brands such as Yadea and Aima have also laid out high - end product lines, intensifying this high - end competition driven by intelligentization. At the same time, more new players have entered the market. For example, CF Moto established the electric vehicle brand Jike and is fully entering the high - end market.

In this competitive landscape, the replacement demand in the market is injecting new variables into this intelligentization competition.

Data from Aowei Cloud Network shows that in 2024, the sales volume of electric two - wheelers in China was about 59 million, a year - on - year increase of 7.5%. Considering the general 4 - to 5 - year replacement cycle in the industry and the extremely large stock of over 400 million vehicles, it means that a large - scale vehicle replacement wave will come in the future.

In the current increasingly competitive industry, this replacement wave may accelerate the market differentiation. Models lacking intelligent configuration are likely to lose their advantage in consumers' replacement choices and be replaced by intelligent models that are more in line with the industry's upgrade direction.

However, for enterprises, the key to this intelligentization competition ultimately depends on consumers' real choices. They need to maintain their intelligent advantage in the competition and ensure that the premium is worthy of the practical value.

(Note: All names in the article are pseudonyms)

This article is from the WeChat official account "Tech Planet" (ID: tech618), author: Ren Xueyun, reprinted by 36Kr with permission.