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Chinese electric scooter manufacturer Horwin is coming to New Zealand.
Horwin, Chinese maker of things electric and with two wheelss, has landed in New Zealand with a national dealer network and the ex-head of MG at the helm.
The company was founded in 2013 and expanded to Europe four years later, where it has more than 300 dealers. Now it has been launched in New Zealand, in partnership with local distributor Goscoot.
Goscoot was founded by industry veteran Anthony MacLean, who successfully relaunched the MG brand in New Zealand, benefit from the growth of the micromobility market that has happened in recent years.
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Horwin will initially offer two scooters, the EK1 and EK3.
“The nexus for me came when I was a speaker at an EV conference last year. We talked about the expansion of BEV and PHEVs (Battery Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles), and how the running costs for electric are so much cheaper than gasoline. But the challenge for me was and still is that EVs are too expensive for most.”
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The micro-mobility area is expanding rapidly, with e-scooters and e-bikes becoming more mainstream. New Zealand’s micromobility market revenue is expected to grow from $9.5 million in 2021 to $2.45 billion in 2030, helped in part by skyrocketing gasoline prices.
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The EK3 reaches speeds of up to 90 km/h and goes up to 80 km.
“I wanted to find options for people who wanted to be more environmentally friendly, who wanted cheaper transport options, or who didn’t need a car, but wanted the flexibility, freedom and economy of their own electric transport.”
The first model range consists of the EK1 ($5295 plus on the road) and EK3 ($7495 plus on the road) scooters. Both use a 2.6 kWh removable battery that charges in approximately four hours from a standard wall outlet, and offers a range of up to 90km in the EK1 and up to 80km in the EK3.
There are differences in the engine, with a power of 2.8 kW in the EK1 and 6.2 kW in the EK3, placing the former in the moped class and the latter being the equivalent of a 125cc scooter, requiring a motorcycle license is needed. It also reaches speeds of up to 90 km/h, instead of the 50 km/h limit of the EK1.
All EK models have reverse gear and cruise control as standard, while the EK3 also has combined braking, keyless go, an alarm and a USB charging port.
Horwin New Zealand has appointed six dealers across the country, in Auckland – Manukau and Auckland Central, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. These will be named in the coming weeks, with more to come.