Chinese three-wheelers zoom onto US and European streets

A Chinese short-video blogger known as "Bobo in America" purchased a Guowei brand electric three-wheeler from China and had it shipped to the United States as a gift for her American father-in-law. Once the three-wheeler arrived in the US, it became a viral sensation as locals couldn't resist snapping photos and expressing their amazement at the unique vehicle. Some even offered to buy the electric trike.

But it's not just the US. Three-wheelers can now be seen in France, the UK and Canada. Chinese Sanbengzi tri-bikes (as they're commonly called) got their name as beng in Chinese refers to the jumping action that the tri-wheelers' driver would need to stand on the pedals to ride on bumpy roads. They would look like they are jumping.

The iconic "reverse, please be careful, reverse, please be careful..." warning sound has been echoing on foreign streets and content featuring Chinese tri-bikes has taken short-video platforms by storm.

These tri-bikes are the electric three-wheelers commonly seen in China. Since the beginning of this year, the number of orders placed by American consumers for Chinese-made electric tri-bikes on e-commerce platforms has been rapidly increasing. Some are imported by private customers and shipped to the US.

Chinese tri-bikes have become a hot topic in the foreign trade sector. Even China's Ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying have been promoting Chinese Sanbengzi on social media platforms.

Electric tricycle companies such as Yadea and ZXMCO have recently established production bases in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, while others are preparing to set up production bases in Europe, including several tri-bike manufacturers.

There is a stark difference — while tri-bikes are known for their affordability in China, a search on the US shopping platform Amazon reveals their prices soaring to between US$5,000 and US$12,000, almost six to seven times their original price, marking a move from a utilitarian vehicle to one on-trend.

So why haven't Chinese tri-bikes become widespread in European and American countries?

One major reason is the difficulty of licensing it appropriately.

When tri-bikes first started gaining popularity in the US, most departments of motor vehicles did not know how to register them. They did not fit into the category of motorcycles or cars and there wasn't even a specific English word to describe them. They could only be awkwardly described as "a pick-up truck bed stuck onto an electric scooter turned into a motorcycle."

So, can these popular tri-bikes be legally licensed in the US? In a follow-up video posted by Bobo in America, she accompanies her American father-in-law to the local DMV to get a license plate for his electric three-wheeler.

After an inspection by the staff, the electric trike was found to meet road safety rules and could be licensed as a motorcycle, thus having the same road rights as a motorcycle.

The three-wheeler passed the inspection smoothly and a DMV staff member told the vlogger and her father-in-law, "We should go to the mayor and tell him we want to build factories in America to sell these kinds of vehicles. People would definitely buy them!"

According to Red Star News, Luo Hao, who sells tri-bikes in the US, spent nearly three months preparing his business. On the first day, he closed three to four deals, all from the original customers he had accumulated from earlier promotions, earning around US$10,000, but not every day brings this kind of income.

He has only just started the business officially and is still in the early stages of market exploration, hoping to expand cooperation and develop the business further.

Luo said that the business's main strategy is to sell to Chinese-American farmers in the US, where there is a strong demand. The next step is to enter the local market of American farmers and further cooperate with local retail stores that have resources, making them dealers or distributors for the three-wheelers.