Zhou Wei, Founder and CEO of HORWIN Extra Brand: Born for Evolution, HORWIN's Global Mobility Vision | 36Kr WAVES 2026 New Wave
"In 2026, the waves in the venture capital circle are surging again: AI has moved from a technological concept into the deep waters of the industry, and hard - tech entrepreneurship has changed from a "niche track" to a "mainstream consensus". Young entrepreneurs are using code and their hands to redefine the future coordinates of Chinese innovation.
Every year, the WAVES Conference hosted by 36Kr · Dark Surge is the annual barometer of the Chinese venture capital circle. This year's WAVES 2026, themed "This Summer", was held at the Liangcang Xinzao Creative Park in Panyu, Guangzhou. Over two days, we gathered top - tier investors, industry leaders, and emerging entrepreneurs. Through 14 in - depth round - tables and dozens of independent speeches, we dissected the underlying logic of core tracks such as AI, hard tech, going global, and healthcare, and witnessed how the perseverance of those "minority" individuals converged into a wave that changes the industry."
The following is the content of the speech, compiled and edited by 36Kr:
Zhou Wei | Founder and CEO of HORWIN Extra
Hello, everyone! I'm the founder of Extra. The high - speed electric motorcycles on the test - drive ground outside were made by us. Today, I'd like to share the story of Extra with you.
I used to be an English teacher. As we all know, some English teachers have been very successful. I also hope to have the opportunity to be very successful in this field in the future. Many people have asked me, as a serial entrepreneur, why I got into the electric motorcycle track and have been in it for ten years. To be honest, I'm very clear about it myself. Many people ask, how big is the electric motorcycle industry? Chinese people are a bit unfamiliar with motorcycles, and it seems a bit far from us because China has had a ban and restrictions on motorcycles for more than twenty years, and it's the only country in the world with such policies. In fact, there are nearly 60 million newly - added motorcycles in this track every year, and the market stock exceeds 1 billion. Currently, the electrification rate is less than 10%. With the rapid electrification of global four - wheeled vehicles, the automotive industry has gone through electrification and intelligence and is now moving towards networking. However, in terms of the attribute of two - wheeled motorcycles as the main means of commuting, electrification is still a hurdle that hasn't been overcome at present.
According to some data analysis, the electrification market will reach a scale of nearly 100 billion US dollars by 2030. In the era of the rapid export of electric vehicles, motorcycles are also being rapidly electrified. For example, in the European market, as well as in Latin America, Africa, and South Asia today, with the rising energy prices, the trend of electrification is extremely obvious. The going - global of electric vehicles has brought several major changes. Firstly, it has educated consumers, making them more willing to accept electrified vehicles. The going - global and rapid development of electric vehicles have led to the spill - over of the industry's technology and technical workers. At the same time, the going - global of electric vehicles has promoted the transformation of the entire power grid facilities. Based on these points, obvious changes have occurred in electrified two - wheeled vehicles.
As an entrepreneur, I believe that travel is not just about movement. Movement is just an object moving from point A to point B, while travel is a journey that connects oneself, the city, and nature. Some people may think this sounds a bit pretentious, but I've always firmly believed that travel is about connecting oneself, the city, and nature. Let me share a little story with you. A friend of mine lives in a big first - tier city. He's a high - net - worth white - collar worker, and his travel situation is a bit awkward. Why? His income is quite good at present. When he goes to work in the morning, he usually gets stuck in traffic for about 40 minutes. Why? Because he drives a four - wheeled vehicle. He bought a luxury car worth more than one million yuan. He said he found that for a journey of only five or six kilometers, it took about forty or fifty minutes, which was even slower than riding a shared bike at the entrance of the community. But he was not willing to do so. If he rode an electric scooter, he felt it didn't match his status and style. On the other hand, if he rode a fuel - powered motorcycle, there was noise, his legs would get hot, and the operation was not very convenient. He always felt something was missing. He said it was so awkward that cars were too congested, electric scooters were too slow, and fuel - powered motorcycles were too traditional, but he had enough budget, and there was no product on the market that could meet his needs. Therefore, when people buy two - wheeled vehicles, it's quite interesting. Some are too utilitarian, like those used by deliverymen, while others are too limited. When going out of the city or for a long - distance journey, we feel a bit uneasy. Why? We're afraid we won't be able to reach our destination. There's always a range anxiety in our hearts.
Based on such market demand, Extra came into being. We created a platform - type vehicle called HORWIN SENMENTI ONE, which is neither a battery - swapping version converted from a fuel - powered motorcycle nor an enhanced version of an electric scooter. We aim to stir up the industry and even subvert the entire electric motorcycle industry.
Electric motorcycles are fundamentally different from fuel - powered motorcycles. Extra makes real electric motorcycles that are fun and comfortable to ride. As we all know, riding a motorcycle is not always comfortable. We hope to make electric motorcycles more comfortable and fun for consumers. Another aspect is safety. As the Chinese saying goes, "Flesh wrapped in iron" is not safe. So we focus on ensuring real safety. Also, we emphasize real intelligence. We don't simply replace the fuel engine with an electric motor and remove the hot exhaust pipe. This is not a simple replacement. We retain the most basic riding fun of motorcycles, making them quieter, more sensitive, and even more understanding of you, like a two - wheeled robot that can understand you. This is the original intention of what we do. Our aim is to make travel more user - friendly, convenient, intelligent, and beautiful.
Some people may wonder why some of us are so obsessed with two - wheeled vehicles. When I was chatting with some people at the event yesterday, I found their obsession. Why? When we drive a car, we're always in a closed iron box. But have you ever thought about what we can feel most vividly when riding a two - wheeled motorcycle? There's wind in our ears. We can feel the wind slipping through our fingertips, the hustle and bustle of the streets, and the scenery along the road. This is the most real and instinctive experience, rather than being transported or confined in a box or a cockpit. We hope to awaken these genuine feelings.
This story actually started in 2016. I'm a motorcycle enthusiast myself. Out of love, I resolutely entered this field. Another intention was to create a world - class brand. Entering the electric motorcycle track was not only out of my own love but also the desire to build a global brand. This decision was quite stubborn. We didn't simply convert fuel - powered motorcycles to electric ones. We thought about one thing: Where in the world is the most difficult market? Strictly speaking, HORWIN started in Germany, Europe. We chose the most demanding market with the highest brand reputation and the strictest quality requirements - Germany in Europe. Extra strategically chose this point. Our original idea was that if we could succeed in the most difficult place, it would be easy for us to expand to other places. By conquering the most picky market, Extra has been deeply involved in the European market for many years. Through product strength and technological innovation, we've won over local consumers. For many consecutive years, we've ranked first in the registration data of high - speed electric motorcycles in many European countries, such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and some Western European countries.
To be honest, this path has been very difficult. In the first six years of starting the business, we didn't receive a single cent of external financing. As a second - time entrepreneur, I had a very genuine thought: Since we entered this track, we had to build the motorcycles, sell them, and make a profit at the same time. This was our most basic initial idea. During this process, we used our own funds and self - generated funds for R & D. There were always doubts from the team and the outside world, asking if we were afraid. But I always told everyone that this path was right because when we do underlying technological innovation, we need to be very persistent.
As you can see on the screen, from the early days of building this platform (as shown in the PPT), we've developed it to the sixth generation. It's not a simple logic of converting a fuel - powered motorcycle to an electric one. You can think of it as a skateboard chassis for two - wheeled electric motorcycles. In the era of fuel - powered vehicles, what was the most difficult to make? The engine and the gearbox. We've done something similar to the engine and gearbox in the fuel - powered era, integrating the battery, motor, and controller on this platform. In the future, when building motorcycles, we only need to change the appearance based on this platform.
We've been rooted in the European market for many years, learned a lot from these markets, and received a lot of validation and recognition. Based on this, we've gradually started to believe that this business can succeed. Currently, Extra has nearly 1,000 dealer stores globally, and its presence can be found in more than 750 cities. For many consecutive years, we've ranked first in the registration and sales data in many European markets, and we've also been in the top ten in the export of electric motorcycles in China for many consecutive years.
The confidence I have today to stand here and share with you, and even invite you to experience our electric vehicles outside, is based on our in - depth development of underlying technology. This is the world's only 400V high - voltage integrated chassis. Why did Extra develop this 400V chassis? The core purpose is to solve the problem of electrification. Extra's motorcycles can directly use all the car charging piles on the road, which can solve a major problem: rapid energy replenishment. This is like using a straw to suck water from a cup. If the pressure is not enough and the tube is too small, it's difficult. But if we use 400V, it's like turning on a faucet and using a basin to catch the water. Currently, as some of you may know, the voltage of electric vehicles on the market is generally low, such as 48V, 60V, 72V, and the highest is 96V. If the voltage is low and the vehicle wants to run fast, the output power needs to be large. Once the current increases, it will generate heat, which has a very large impact on the thermal decay of the entire three - electric system. By increasing it to 400V, we solve the heat - generation problem, which brings many benefits.
Firstly, the charging is fast. Extra's motorcycles can be charged for 10 minutes to achieve a range of 100 kilometers, and a charge of about 30 minutes can provide a range of more than 200 kilometers. It's similar to refueling at a gas station, which takes 5 to 10 minutes to fill up, and we can also let you travel more than 100 kilometers in about the same time. This is the first point. All the DC charging piles for cars on the road can be directly used for charging, which solves the problem of using a trailing power strip.
Secondly, the efficiency is high. Under the same lighting conditions, traditional vehicles are prone to leakage. What does leakage mean? It means energy is wasted. The battery, motor, and electronic control are connected through a large number of wiring harnesses, and the loss in this process is very large, nearly 30%. We've made it an integrated chassis with a hard - connection method, which greatly reduces the loss. When the resistance is low, the efficiency naturally increases.
Thirdly, our performance is better than that of fuel - powered motorcycles of the same level. For example, the zero - to - hundred acceleration of the SENMENTI ONE model outside is about 3.3 seconds, which is comparable to a liter - class motorcycle. The maximum speed can reach 200 kilometers per hour, which is on par with a liter - class motorcycle.
Fourthly, many people ask how long an electric motorcycle can maintain a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour or 180 kilometers per hour. We can tell you that it can run at this speed until the battery runs out. This is no different from a fuel - powered motorcycle or a fuel - powered vehicle. In fact, its operation is simpler, and the experience is better. The core of this technology comes from Extra's extensive development of underlying technology and the creation of an energy management platform, which ensures its stability and advancement.
In addition, electric motorcycles have now become a mobile micro - grid and a lifestyle. For example, some people ride in the city and sometimes want to go to the suburbs. With a traditional fuel - powered motorcycle, when they arrive at a place and want to drink hot water, tea, or coffee, they have to build a fire, which is quite troublesome. If they use electricity and bring a mobile power bank, it adds a lot of weight. Today, our electric motorcycles can directly provide external power. Small household appliances with a power of more than 3kW can be directly connected to our electric motorcycles. For example, the SENMENTI ONE has 16.9 kWh of electricity, which can power many small household appliances, such as cooking hot pot, connecting speakers, and watching movies. It has become a mobile lifestyle, just like today's electric cars, which can provide external power. Even if another vehicle on the road runs out of electricity, we can connect a cable to recharge it.
Another point is the generalization of the platform. When we built this platform, our core purpose was not just to build this one vehicle. We hope to generalize this platform so that it can be used not only on two - wheeled vehicles but also on three - wheeled, four - wheeled vehicles, even on water motorboats, ATVs, UTVs, and even small flying devices. In fact, it's a platform with universal energy and power, which is what Extra wants to do in the future. Currently, we've entered the two - wheeled market and also the four - wheeled recreational vehicle market. Generally speaking, this is a platform - type product. Currently, we're presenting a two - wheeled vehicle to you, and in the future, there will be three - wheeled, four - wheeled, and even water - based vehicles. We've solved the platform - related issues of power and energy in the early stage.
Many people talk about platforms, but it's not just a game of parameters. In fact, it has a deep technological moat. Some people say that it's easier for those in the four - wheeled vehicle industry to enter this field. That's not the case. It requires many things, such as energy management and control of thermal decay. So we've developed a "5 + 3+3" multi - mode thermal management system. As we all know, thermal management of electric vehicles is extremely crucial. If the heat is not well - controlled, it can lead to thermal runaway, explosion, or even fire. Therefore, Extra has integrated semiconductor, liquid - cooling, and air - cooling methods, which is also a global first. During the whole process, we've conducted a large number of tests, and there won't be any problems even when climbing long - distance slopes. We can even ride on some mountains in Europe.
In addition, the global trend of switching from fuel to electricity is very obvious. 70% of new cars in China are now being electrified. Since two - wheeled vehicles are the second - most popular means of transportation after four - wheeled vehicles, they're also being rapidly electrified. In this process, many countries, including those overseas that we've seen, are actively embracing electrification. In this process, there's a huge development trend, which is the coordination of computing and electricity.
Based on all these, what kind of brand does Extra want to become? We believe that we want to become a global technological pioneer in mobile travel. This is what we've always wanted to do since the establishment of Extra. I also believe that future travel will be more interesting, more free, and more human - oriented. I sincerely hope that more people will be willing to join us as fellow pioneers in technology, and I also hope that all of you here will pay attention to Extra.
Thank you all! I'm Zhou Wei from Extra. Thank you!