Investigation! Shanghai Overspeed Electric Vehicle Rental Company Under Investigation! Hellobike Electric Vehicle Rental Stores Bulk Delisted

Source: Securities Times Network Author: Wu Zhi

On March 15, CCTV’s “3.15” evening program reported that several electric bicycle rental companies are removing speed limits and renting out electric bikes to consumers.

The report pointed out that some electric bikes have an average speed of 30 to 50 km/h, with a top speed of up to 80 km/h, far exceeding the national standard limit of 25 km/h.

In order to get these overspeeding electric bikes on the road smoothly, related companies and stores have used methods such as pre-registering, directly purchasing license plates, and even forging or fake license plates to obtain electric bicycle licenses.

Law enforcement officers investigate violating companies on-site

The electric bike rental companies involved, as mentioned in the “3.15” program, include Hello Electric, Changpai Mobility, Sky Travel, and others.

Bojings Network Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Bojings”) is the operator of the involved brand Changpai Mobility. On March 16, the Securities Times reporter arrived at Bojings’ office, where personnel from Jing’an District Public Security and Market Supervision departments had already arrived for investigation.

Bojings’ front desk displayed several electric bikes, but no staff were working there. Although there are many workstations in other offices, the reporter waited on-site for a long time without seeing any employees working.

On-site, law enforcement officers from Jing’an District Public Security and Market Supervision departments are inspecting Bojings and inquiring with relevant company officials. The officers told the Securities Times that the matter is currently under investigation and they are not available for interviews.

In the early morning of March 16, the Jing’an District Market Supervision Administration in Shanghai issued a notice stating that in response to the electric bike rental violations exposed by CCTV’s “3.15” program, the district committee and government attached great importance, immediately formed a joint investigation team, and conducted on-site inspections at Bojings Network Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The investigation focused on speed tampering and illegal battery replacements, with progress and results to be announced to the public in a timely manner.

The notice stated that next, the bureau will collaborate with relevant departments to carry out a special rectification of illegal activities in the electric bike rental sector across the district to safeguard market order.

The Securities Times reporter noted that the Changpai Mobility app operated by Bojings is still functioning normally and allows users to place rental orders. However, when contacting the stores listed in the app, one store manager said they had terminated cooperation with Bojings last year.

Haro Electric stores remove many bikes

The electric bikes exposed by CCTV’s “3.15” program from Haro Rental are a leading brand in the industry, affiliated with the well-known local mobility and lifestyle service platform Haro.

According to Haro’s official website, in February 2023, Haro launched Haro Electric to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly transportation option. The Haro Electric platform makes it easy to find nearby rental points and also offers a high-efficiency, convenient transaction platform for merchants, making full use of idle electric bike resources to maximize commercial value.

On the evening of March 15, Haro responded to the “3.15” report, stating that Haro Electric rental operates on a platform model, providing information matching services for users and merchants. The platform has never directly operated offline stores; all bikes in the stores are purchased and operated by participating merchants.

Haro has never authorized any stores to directly use the Haro brand for rental services offline. The company reserves the right to pursue legal responsibility for any such actions.

According to the merchant agreement of Haro Electric, merchants must ensure that the vehicles provided on the platform meet the national safety standards for electric bicycles. Haro continuously reminds merchants through the merchant app, conducts spot checks, and requires them to ensure that rented vehicles comply with current laws and standards, do not undergo illegal modifications, and regularly self-inspect and rectify their fleet.

In the early morning of March 16, the Minhang District Market Supervision Administration in Shanghai issued a notice stating that they had immediately formed a joint investigation team to visit Haro’s headquarters and conduct investigations into the tampering with speed and battery replacements exposed during the program. Progress and results will be announced to the public promptly.

The Securities Times reporter observed that around 11 p.m. on March 15, Haro Electric’s Shanghai operations were still running normally, and users could place orders. However, by the morning of March 16, the platform in Shanghai showed no stores.

Additionally, in cities such as Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Anyang in Henan Province, orders could still be placed on the morning of March 16, but the pages no longer displayed available stores for booking.

(Edited by: Wen Jing)

Keywords: Haro