Bad news for Xiaomi. According to some reports coming directly from China, the company's electric bike was banned from circulation by the Beijing authorities. A real bummer, considering that the bikes in question have only been available for four days. The line of bikes is part of the catalog of products developed thanks to the crowdfunding platform and is currently being tested in some of the most important Chinese cities, including Beijing.
According to rumors, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau has requested the removal of the entire line from the roads, due to a rather gross oversight: the vehicles do not have a license plate, thus not respecting the standards set by the authorities. The bicycles were supposed to be part of a rental service, thanks to which citizens could use the vehicles for the modest sum of a single yuan every half hour, after a deposit of 199 yuan. The absence of number plates is not the only reason for the driving ban. The vehicles in question travel at a higher speed than a normal bike, thus representing a real risk for the safety of users. Xiaomi justified itself by ensuring that the rental service was only in the trial phase and would become fully functional only after the acquisition of the various required licenses.
