DJI may dominate the drone market, but the company wants to carry its successful formula over to e-bikes.
The drone maker dropped a vague teaser for its next major product on X. While it’s not the official reveal, the video shows off a mid-drive motor for an electric bike with the text, “Power Your Ride.” We’re not sure if DJI is planning to reveal an entire e-bike or just a motor system under the Avinox name, but it’s still a serious shift from its typical product category of drones.
Building an e-bike might seem unexpected for DJI, but the company has already branched out beyond drones. Its current product lineup includes action cameras meant to compete with GoPro, gimbals, mics for vloggers, and even portable power stations. However, out of all those devices, e-bikes might be able to make the most out of DJI’s technology.
A Serious Suite of Sensors
Paying attention to its latest releases, it’s clear that DJI has been trying to expand and interconnect its ecosystem lately. We can see the evidence with the introduction of its power stations that were designed to fast charge its own batteries. There’s also the possibility that DJI could offer seamless connectivity between its drones and the Avinox for easy-to-capture follow footage.
Alternatively, since DJI drones come with a ton of sensors that help them avoid obstacles, the company could lean into its suite of sensors designed for an e-bike. Imagine something that can avoid crashing into things or one that understands areas where you’re not allowed to operate an e-bike, similar to No Drone Zones.
So far, leaks showed that DJI does plan to incorporate several sensors into the Avinox, including IMU, barometer, compass, and ones that can measure wheel speed, torque, cadence, and ambient light. Early leaks also indicated that the Avinox will have two battery options, either a 600Wh or a more powerful 800Wh. DJI reportedly built its e-bike with an 850W motor that can pump out 105 Nm of torque but can be boosted to 1,000W of power and 120 Nm instead. According to the leaks, the Avinox tops out at 20 mph in the U.S., following the federal legal limits, but all of those leaked specs scream premium e-bike to us. That’s not a bad thing, though, since DJI should plan to make a big splash with its first-ever e-bike considering how crowded the market is.
Full Reveal Coming Soon
With those specs and that amount of sensors, there’s a good chance the Avinox won’t be an entry-level e-bike. Don’t expect Lectric-like pricing from DJI’s first e-bike, but it should sit somewhere closer to more premium builds from brands like Aventon. With a release scheduled for later this week, we should know more details about Avinox when DJI officially reveals it.
Considering the pressure that DJI is under with a potential ban in the U.S., this shift towards e-bikes makes a lot of sense. The market seems to be booming right now, and DJI could carry over its solid reputation and sensor technology into e-bikes. However, the real question is if it can carry over the same dominance as it holds with drones.
