China's electric tricycle manufacturers are ramping up production capacity and intensifying research and development efforts to meet the surging export demand.
The country's export volume of electric tricycles reached 650,000 units in 2024, with a total export value of nearly 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of about 10 percent year on year.
An electric tricycle manufacturer in Changxing County of east China's Zhejiang Province has been handling a substantial number of overseas orders and coordinating domestic production daily since the operations resumed after the Spring Festival holiday.
To fulfill these orders, the company has upgraded its production line equipment to enhance efficiency, with a vehicle rolling off the line in only 10 minutes for the fastest speed.
"Currently, we have nearly 1,000 electric tricycles ready for delivery, an increase of 74.23 percent compared with the same period last year. Our target markets primarily include developed countries in Europe and America, as well as economically developed countries in Asia. From Jan 1 to now, our sales have exceeded 13 million yuan (about 1.78 million U.S. dollars)," said Wang Guofu, general manager of the company.
An electric tricycle company in Wuxi City of east China's Jiangsu Province currently ships over 1,000 vehicles overseas each day, said its executive.
Given the marked differences in required performances across various regions, the company has established factories overseas to facilitate targeted production.
"For example, in Africa and Southeast Asia, our emphasis is on three-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles that can carry both passengers and cargo. Since the beginning of this year, we have achieved a production and sales volume of approximately 40 million yuan, doubling what we recorded during the same period last year," said Yang Guimin, supply chain manager of the company.
"There are 299 companies in Wuxi that engage in export of electric bicycles and motorcycles, with an export value nearing 3.3 billion yuan in 2024, an increase of 46.6 percent. The focus of market expansion is shifting from Europe and the United States to Southeast Asia, Africa and other regions with rising demand," said Xiao Chun, an officer of Wuxi Customs.
China's electric tricycle makers boost output to meet rising exports
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
