The electric motorbike tuning market is booming, posing many unsafe risks
Electric motorbikes are becoming increasingly widely used thanks to meeting the green transportation trend. However, many establishments have publicly provided car "tuning" services, intervening in the structure and operating system to increase speed or increase travel distance.
Notably, the intervention in the structure and technical parameters of the vehicle, especially increasing the speed beyond the original design, is raising concerns about the risk of traffic unsafety, increasing fire and explosion risks and affecting the durability of the vehicle.
According to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, the electric motorbike tuning market is developing vibrantly in many localities. With just a few searches on social networks or e-commerce platforms, users can easily access a series of establishments that receive engine upgrades, speed locks, power steering, batteries, brakes, shock absorbers and many other components.
Surveys show that the customer group using this service is mainly delivery drivers, technology cars and a segment of teenagers who need to accelerate or personalize vehicles. Many electric cars after being produced have been intervened to improve acceleration and operate at speeds higher than manufacturer specifications.
Mr. Bui Viet Hung, a technology driver in Hanoi, revealed to reporters that, for about a year now, many of his colleagues have switched to using electric motorbikes to run services to save fuel costs. However, because electric vehicles are often limited in speed, many people have turned to vehicle modification facilities to improve operating efficiency.
When the car runs faster, it will shorten travel time, thereby being able to receive more orders or serve more customers. Initially, they only wanted to increase speed, but then continued to upgrade brakes, shock absorbers and many other details to suit the new operating capabilities, while increasing the aesthetics of the car," Mr. Hung said.
Arbitrarily changing the structure, control system or technical parameters of electric motorbikes not only potentially poses a risk of unsafety for users but can also cause vehicles to no longer meet the initial technical standards, increasing the risk of accidents and fires during operation.
Infiltrating the electric motorcycle modification workshop, ready to unlock speed in just a few seconds
To clarify the reality of the electric motorbike modification market that is booming, a group of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters surveyed many stores specializing in providing this service in Hanoi. From social network groups to repair and advertising establishments for "speed unlocking", "IC modification", "power upgrade" services appear densely, publicly inviting customers.
One of the addresses introduced by many people is the eMotorbikes Hanoi tuning workshop on Tran Dai Nghia street (Tuong Mai ward).
In the role of a customer who needs to upgrade an electric motorbike to serve delivery work, reporters came to this facility. We were received by a woman over 35 years old, introducing herself as the workshop owner. This person quickly advised on a series of plans to help the motorbike be "stronger", "run faster" compared to the manufacturer's original design.
According to the workshop owner, the number of customers coming here every day is quite large, of which the majority are delivery drivers who want to increase speed to shorten travel time. If the car wants to reach a higher speed than the company's technical specifications, technicians will directly intervene in the electronic control (IC) of the car.
When reporters questioned whether intervention in the control system would affect battery life and the manufacturer's warranty policy, this woman admitted that the car will consume more battery due to increased operating power, but also said that this is still under "control".
More notably, this person also instructed how to cope when taking the car for warranty by removing the modified details.
Not only serving delivery drivers, according to the workshop owner, the group of customers who are teenagers also accounts for a significant proportion.
Many new 9th graders have brought cars here to modify their cars to run faster," this person revealed.
To persuade customers, the workshop owner continuously promotes upgrade packages. Just spend about VND 2.9 million to replace the electronic controller (IC), the electric vehicle will have significantly stronger acceleration than the original. This IC is also introduced to integrate a reversing gear function, helping drivers not need to use their feet to push the vehicle when reversing in the usual way.
Not stopping at replacing the IC, the technicians at the workshop also introduced another option advertised as much cheaper.
Accordingly, instead of replacing the controller, the technician only needs to intervene in the car's software to turn off regenerative brakes and unlock the speed limit. To create trust, the staff also directly filmed all the operations performed on the phone. The entire process only takes about 5 seconds. After completion, the car, which is advertised by the manufacturer to have a speed limit of 70 km/h, can reach 82 km/h. The fee for this service is only 200,000 VND.
Not only improving speed, the workshop owner also introduced a series of other upgrade packages such as changing brake levers, brake discs, shock absorbers and many accessories that are no longer the original design to increase operating capabilities as well as create a unique style for the car.
When reporters expressed concern about the risk of being inspected and fined by traffic police for arbitrarily changing the car structure, the female workshop owner immediately reassured them.
Traffic police will not open every detail of the car for inspection, so being fined is very unlikely. Many people have tuned here but have not seen anyone mention being fined. Having determined to play with tuned cars, almost no one is afraid of being fined," this person affirmed.
During the exchange, the workshop owner also revealed the origin of the used components. Most of the products, accessories and electronic controllers installed at eMotorbikes Hanoi are of Chinese origin. However, the workshop does not issue invoices and documents to customers, even for orders worth from 20 to 30 million VND.
Normally, no customers request to issue invoices. And issuing invoices is also related to taxes. Imported goods cost quite a lot of money, now adding taxes is very tiring, so we do not issue invoices," the female workshop owner told reporters.
According to the reporter's investigation, arbitrarily intervening in the control system, changing power or converting the structure of electric motorbikes not only potentially poses a risk of traffic unsafety but can also cause the vehicle owner to lose the right to warranty.
Currently, most electric motorcycle manufacturers stipulate no warranty for damages arising from repairing, connecting non-genuine accessories or arbitrarily changing the design, power, and structure of the vehicle. This means that if an incident occurs after modification, the vehicle owner may have to bear all repair and replacement costs.
