(Yicai) April 7 -- Many Chinese electric bicycle manufacturers have increased prices this month after e-bikes were excluded from this year’s national consumer trade-in subsidy program, new national standards came into force, and raw material costs rose.

Ninebot, Yadea Group, Aima, Tailg Technology Group, Niu, and other e-bike makers raised their retail prices at the start of this month, Blue Whale News reported, citing multiple dealers. Most increased them by between CNY100 and CNY300 (USD14.53 and USD43.59) per bike.

China removed e-bikes from its consumer goods trade-in subsidy program this year. Last year, consumers who scrapped older models and bought new ones priced at CNY1,500 (USD217.95) or more received CNY500 toward the cost, with an additional CNY100 for lead-acid battery models. 

In addition, prices of metals, including aluminum, copper, and iron, have jumped more than 40 percent, while those of chemical inputs such as plastic pellets have surged over 80 percent, e-bike producer Yadea told dealers when notifying them of price hikes. The Wuxi-based firm's factory costs across all product lines rose by more than CNY300 per unit starting April 1.

E-bike sales in China fell 38 percent in February from a year earlier, according to market researcher AVC. Last year, consumers tapped the trade-in program to buy more than 12.5 million e-bikes, up around eight times from the previous year, per commerce ministry figures.

Some manufacturers have introduced limited-time offers to ease the pressure on dealers, with Ninebot, for instance, discounting nearly 50 models by as much as CNY1,200 this month. A Yadea dealer in Shenzhen said in-store prices have not yet risen, with the lowest promotional price at CNY2,399, but e-bikes stocked from April 1 onward are being sold at higher prices.

Many customers judge the new prices as too high despite the discounts, leading to monthly sales dropping about 40 percent, a Yadea dealer in Guangzhou told Yicai. Dealers for Aima and Tailg in Dongguan and Shanghai have also reported similar situations.

China launched new e-bike standards on Sept. 1, raising the maximum weight of bikes with lead-acid batteries to 63 from 55 kilograms to improve their range while keeping the speed limit at 25 kilometers per hour, with engines automatically shutting off beyond this limit.

To prevent tampering, the standards require battery packs and control units to stop working if modified in any way. To prevent fires, the weight of plastics used must not exceed 5.5 percent of an e-bike’s total weight, while non-metallic parts such as seats, battery compartments, and decorative components must have higher fire resistance.

In addition, the new standards require manufacturers to clearly state the recommended service life of their products on plates and certificates.

Editor: Martin Kadiev