Long-term support builds confidence, sales for mobility exports

When Alessandro Felici chooses electric scooters for his European rental fleet, he is already thinking about the repairs they may need five years down the road.

"If you no longer have a partner after five years, you have a serious problem, because you no longer have spare parts," said the CEO of Italian shared mobility operator RideMovi.

For vehicles expected to stay in service for years, a manufacturer's ability to provide long-term support matters as much as the product itself, Felici added.

His concerns reflect a broader shift in China's electric two-wheeler exports, as Chinese manufacturers increasingly look beyond selling vehicles to providing localized products, technical support and after-sales services to build lasting relationships with overseas customers.

The shift comes amid growing international demand for Chinese electric mobility products. China's export value of electric motorcycles and cycles rose 31.5 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026, according to the General Administration of Customs.

For Felici, whose company sources its vehicles from Segway-Ninebot, the Chinese manufacturer's ability to provide engineering expertise and sustained support is crucial to keeping its fleets running.

"Building trust, building a brand that people can rely on, is really important," he said. "So is the level of after-sales service."

The senior executive also attributed Chinese manufacturers' competitiveness to the country's extensive industrial supply chains, drawing a comparison with Italy's traditional shoemaking clusters.

"China's network of component makers and specialists allows batteries, wheels and connected electronics to be developed and assembled within an established manufacturing ecosystem. Having those capabilities close together makes it easier to move from a design to a working product," he said.

Yet manufacturing strength alone is not enough to succeed in overseas markets, where road conditions, consumer preferences and regulatory requirements can differ significantly from those in China.

Wang Ye, co-founder and CEO of Segway-Ninebot, said working with overseas customers has brought new localization ideas, which in turn have created opportunities for product innovation.

For example, electric two-wheelers designed for relatively flat urban roads in China may struggle on steeper roads in some overseas markets, placing greater demands on motors, energy efficiency and durability, Wang said.

"Meeting these requirements calls for more than adapting existing products. It also requires a deeper understanding of local riding habits, operating conditions and cultural differences," he added.

Although Segway-Ninebot often operates behind the scenes as a hardware supplier to global shared mobility operators such as Lime and Bird, Wang said these partnerships have provided valuable insights into consumer needs, local regulations and cross-cultural differences, helping inform the company's broader product development.