Xunlu Innovation Secures Tens of Millions in Financing and Launches High-end Intelligent E-cargo Bikes Priced Over 50,000 Yuan | Exclusive by 36Kr

Author | Zhang Ziyi

Editor | Peng Xiaoqiu

36Kr learned that E-cargo bike (electric cargo-assisted bicycle) manufacturer Xunlu Innovation has completed a new round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan. This round of financing was led by Sequoia China Seed Fund, and several old shareholders such as Shunwei Capital continued to follow up. The financing funds will be used for the mass production of the first product and the R & D of the new generation of products.

Xunlu Innovation was established in July 2023. It has completed four rounds of financing in two years. Its historical shareholders include Deshun Investment, XBOTPARK Fund, Brizan Ventures, Shunwei Capital, Chuxin Capital, and Professor Gao Bingqiang.

In 2024, Xunlu launched the E-cargo bike brand TARRAN in Europe. The first product, T1 Pro, is priced at 6,999 euros (approximately 58,000 yuan). Cargo users are used to configuring accessories such as child seats. According to the official website information, if all the existing original accessories are equipped, the total price will reach 8,682 euros.

Image source: Xunlu Innovation

E-cargo bikes are usually equipped with relatively large shelves to facilitate the mounting of more goods. At the same time, they are equipped with motors, batteries, and control systems to provide power support for riders during cycling.

In recent years, with the increasing demand for sustainable transportation and last-mile delivery in European cities, the E-cargo bike market has risen rapidly. Many European countries have also provided policy support such as purchase subsidies and tax incentives to encourage the use of E-cargo bikes. In countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and the Nordic countries, E-cargo bikes have become common means of transportation on the streets and are important choices for local residents' daily commuting, cargo transportation, and picking up and dropping off children.

Taking the German market as an example, 189,000 E-cargo bikes were sold in Germany in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 14.5%. The proportion of this category in E-bikes (electric-assisted bicycles) also increased from 7.5% to 9%. The average price of E-cargo bikes in Europe exceeds 5,000 euros, making them high-ticket E-bike products.

Guo Zhuo, the founder of Xunlu Innovation, noticed this unique category of E-cargo bikes at the beginning of 2023 and went to Europe for on-the-spot research. "We found that European E-cargo bike brands still haven't well met the existing user needs."

The E-cargo market has high requirements for product safety, controllability, and intelligence, which have also become the key areas of Xunlu Innovation's product R & D.

36Kr learned that Xunlu Innovation is trying to develop a number of self-developed technologies with a robotic system mindset. Take the Dynamic Dualdrive™ auxiliary wheel system as an example. Different from the common mechanical auxiliary solutions of European brands, this system is equipped with auxiliary wheels independently controlled by dual motors. With the power control algorithm, the auxiliary wheels can be automatically retracted and extended when starting and stopping at low speeds. Through the shock absorption design and height self-adaptive adjustment, it can flexibly cope with uneven roads. When temporarily parking, the auxiliary wheels can also be manually lowered to provide immediate support, solving the pain point of traditional freight bicycles being prone to roll over at low speeds.

In addition, the auxiliary wheel system of T1 Pro combines a six-axis associated computing unit to sense the vehicle body state in real time and accurately adjust the height of the auxiliary wheels. It can maintain stability even in complex scenarios such as slopes. This "electronics + algorithm" solution far exceeds the limitations of traditional mechanical solutions.

As solution providers represented by Bosch have begun to launch three-electric integrated solutions, many traditional bicycle manufacturers have quickly completed the basic "electrification" by purchasing externally. Driven by the profound cycling culture and emission reduction goals in Europe, cargo has become a high-potential category with reverse growth in the entire e-bike category in recent years. However, on the other hand, the third-party systems cannot be open-sourced, which means that brands cannot define functions according to their own needs and accumulations, resulting in serious homogenization. This is also the biggest reason why Xunlu chose to cooperate with another domestic manufacturer, Gaobiao, to self-develop the motor.

Guo Zhuo told Yingke: "Whether an electric-assisted bicycle is smart depends largely on the motor, which is like the brain of the system. It is easier to choose a common motor, but we can't develop new functions according to our ideas. At the same time, we have independently developed the vehicle central control system, which has also greatly improved the intelligence level beyond the existing motors and allows the team to flexibly and independently develop according to the target functions."

In terms of environmental perception, the T1 Pro is equipped with a vehicle-grade 70 Hz millimeter-wave radar, whose detection distance, range, and data accuracy have been greatly improved. With three ultra-high-definition cameras at the front, middle, and rear, it can monitor the following vehicles, obstacles, and narrow road environments in real time and provide all-round safety warnings for riders through vibrating handlebars and screen prompts.

In response to the serious problem of vehicle theft in Europe, the solution provided by T1 Pro is similar to that of new energy vehicles in recent years: the supporting App can realize keyless vehicle switching. After the vehicle is powered off, the landing gear will be automatically locked and the "sentry mode" will be activated. When abnormal movement is detected, an alarm will be triggered and a reminder will be pushed. With the GPS module and camera recording function, the vehicle trajectory can be located.

After-sales service is a common problem faced by Ebike enterprises. TARRAN is equipped with an OBD system to provide data support for after-sales maintenance, which is expected to save the information and execution costs of after-sales repair.

In terms of practicality, the T1 Pro is equipped with a 5.2-inch Retina touch screen and its self-developed TarranOS intelligent vehicle system, which supports mobile phone screen mirroring navigation, making and answering calls, and vehicle lighting control. The screen can automatically adjust the brightness.

In addition to intelligence, in the traditional configuration of cargo category products, this product offers a dual-battery mode with a maximum range of 200 kilometers, meeting the needs of long-distance travel. With a maximum load of 220 kg and a space design that can accommodate 2 children or 3 Euroboxes, combined with a compact body of 2264 mm and a large steering angle of 67.5 degrees, it has both cargo capacity and handling flexibility among models of the same level. In addition, the front and rear full shock absorption systems, TRP oil disc brakes, Gates carbon belts, Enviolo continuously variable internal transmission systems, and adjustable seats and handlebars are basically on par with the flagship products of leading brands in the category priced at nearly 10,000 yuan.

The T1 Pro is currently mainly sold in the European market. The official website shows that the main stores are concentrated in the developed countries in northwestern Europe, especially in Germany. Consumers can find nearby stores to test ride through the website or place an order directly online.

The founding team of Xunlu comes from technology companies such as DJI, Anker Innovations, and Insta360. Guo Zhuo, the founder, has 16 years of experience in product R & D and project management. As a product manager at DJI, he was responsible for several drones and the first-generation Osmo handheld gimbal cameras. From 2019 to 2023, he was in charge of the GO series thumb action cameras and the X series panoramic action cameras at Insta360 and was the main R & D person in charge of the product line. The team has profound accumulations in robot sensing, motor control, and intelligent system development.