U.S. market: Big box stores

[RichieV]

What will it take to get eWheels on the shelves of big box stores in the U.S.??  Right now it's a bit of a gray market due to the question of patents, but NineBot seems to have established a beachhead here with a way to distribute products and fulfill warranties locally.  Can NineBot be made available in places like WalMart, Target, Best Buy, or Costco?  How about other eWheel brands?

[Guest]

I think what stops this is the legal issues of a people mover.

[KaleOsaurusRex]

I seem to remember a period of time that e-bikes were being offered at Costco and Walmart and the like. I don't see them often anymore. Maybe it's the specialized knowledge required to offer a truly high quality product that keeps them out?

I really don't want to see a brand that turns off unexpectedly in the big box stores. Right now I think it's not time yet.

[RichieV]

I think what stops this is the legal issues of a people mover.

I'm not sure about that; consider the electric scooters which can achieve similar speeds.  They can be readily found on the shelves.  Legally speaking, what makes them different?

I seem to remember a period of time that e-bikes were being offered at Costco and Walmart and the like. I don't see them often anymore. Maybe it's the specialized knowledge required to offer a truly high quality product that keeps them out?

That's interesting.  I think awareness of e-bikes is lacking.  I mean for the most part they look just like a regular bike and unless you try one you won't realize what they can offer.  Add the extra price and I think most people don't give e-bikes a second thought.  Perhaps they need more sex appeal.  This is something that is not lacking in ewheels, though.  To see one in action is to want one, as I think many of us can attest.  How many exclamations of "That is so cool!" or "I want one!" have we all heard?  I've been stopped countless times at this point and been asked where to get one.  It would be nice to answer "Just go to WalMart!"

[Planetpapi]

Single moving wheel with known failing electronics on the move, is enough for big boxes to stay away to carry them in stores. As you already know, liability is way too much in USA.  If they ever consider they go by the supplier reputation and financial stamina...that would be Ninebot inc, may be IPS. Every other wheel appears to be a mom and pop shop.

[EDL]

I think it is also unclear legally where EUCs fall.  I imagine this coupled with the inevitable lawsuits would keep the big stores away.  Add to that a general lack of awareness and what seems to be a general opinion of the EUC as a toy and you're left with specialty shops selling out of love.

[Tom]

I think it is also unclear legally where EUCs fall.  I imagine this coupled with the inevitable lawsuits would keep the big stores away.  Add to that a general lack of awareness and what seems to be a general opinion of the EUC as a toy and you're left with specialty shops selling out of love.

It's a shame really because the legal gray area means we aren't gonna see any serious investment in EUC technology any time soon because no big company will invest in R&D on a product that could be banned for use in an entire country at any time.

[Jag_Rip]

I think its simply the lack of regulation. In one city you are allowed only on the sidewalk, in another city its strictly forbidden to ride on the sidewalk. How would a retailer be able to sell his goods legally in all of his shops?

[MrBump]

I think the BMS shutoff issue will be a bigger issue than that - they can easily say 'refer to your local laws for guidance' combined with focusing on selling where the regime is more lenient.

Then there's the barrier to entry (ie. being harder to ride than most kinds of 'powered rideable').

They'll also need to buy in serious bulk in order to make a profit, so they'll be wanting to see some evidence of EUC's running well ahead of other rideables in popularity before putting the money upfront.

[Kevin]

There aren't a lot of $600-1000 items in walmart. Maybe in the bike section, but unless EUC's get popular enough to have their own dedicated department I don't see it becoming a thing.

[Jag_Rip]

Then there's the barrier to entry (ie. being harder to ride than most kinds of 'powered rideable').

Thats just a issue for now because its that new, if EUCs get more popular, kids will learn to ride them while young and will be able to ride them anytime in their life again with little effort. Imagine an adult today that never learned to ride a bike, how high that barrier is for that person. But nowadays most people have learned it while they were little and its common knowledge how to do it.
Here is a vid I really liked kind of going into this topic, but with a different example using a modified bike that turns the other way than you turn:

 

 

[MrBump]

EUCs are never going to be as popular as bicycles, but regardless, what you have there is a case of both someone who can ride a bicycle having to completely reverse learned rules, and a case of a machine with completely unintuitive rules of balance.  Regardless of that, it's a great video so thanks for that.

Aside from this, though, I'm not sure how relevant the 'absolute' learning curve is to the fact that EUC's have a large barrier in gaining acceptance in an era of rideables that will be designed to be as easy to pick up as possible.

And frankly, many of those other rideables are probably more boring for it.   It's like a musical instrument, the ones that are easiest to learn get dull pretty quickly.

Judging from my Mum's experience learning to ride a bicycle in adulthood, I think an EUC is probably somewhere between a bicycle and a unicycle in terms of difficulty, possibly due to things like that with a bicycle you can easily correct slight balance errors with input from your arms.

I'd quite like a go on the backwards bicycle now (EUC's are a little like backward skiing when making tighter turns).