New e-scooter snapped up

More than 600 people queued for hours ahead of the Auckland opening of a store selling Xiaomi or ’Mi’ brand electric scooters.

The popularity of rentable e-scooters like Lime in Auckland and Christchurch has driven a significant interest in the Mi electric model among customers wanting one of their own, Mi New Zealand spokesman Eric Chang says.

In just seven hours, Mi recorded $257,750 in sales, selling 400 e-scooters through its first New Zealand store at Sylvia Park in Mt Wellington, the New Zealand Herald reports.

About 200 of the e-scooters priced at $599 were sold online in 30 minutes, crashing the retailer’s website.

The e-scooters have a 29km range and reach up to 25km/h.

The company is advocating for better safety standards and mandatory use of helmets.

“Safety is a key consideration in the design and operation of the scooters,” Chang says. “This model has a dual-brake system; front E-ABS, regenerative anti-lock braking system and rear mechanical disc brake system.

“The front anti-lock braking system prevents the wheels from locking even under hard braking or on surfaces with low friction like wet roads.

“The scooters are also equipped with a low power mode which restricts the maximum speed, ultra-bright headlights, a warning tail light that flashes during braking, skid-resistant inflatable tyres, and a handlebar bell.”

It is also equipped with features such as cruise control – which are accessed via the Mi app.

Users need to manually push the scooters to 5km/h to start them.

Chang says Mi will encourage customers to buy helmets at the point of sale.

“Helmets are one of the few non-Mi branded products we will sell, but it is important to us that the public are better equipped and educated about the need for safety on our roads; we believe everyone using an electric scooter should be wearing a helmet,” he says.

With over 9% of the global market, Mi is also the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer and one of the fastest growing mobile phone brands.

In addition to cell phones, their internet enabled products available at the new store will include robotic vacuum cleaners, wearable tech, home automation, smart appliances and lifestyle products such as electric toothbrushes and other homeware.

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