DJI e-bike leaks as company pivots amid potential US drone ban

DJI, the company best known for its drones, is looking to enter a new market. Teased on their X/Twitter page, DJI is expanding beyond the creation tool business as a potential drone ban looms. 

In typical fashion for a new DJI product, it’s leaked ahead of the announcement. Intended to be revealed on July 3, X user Drones19170668 has posted product images. No context or information has been posted alongside these, but we can see the bike in action.

However, known DJI leaker OsitaLV has discovered the potential tech specs for the bike. This includes its 2.55 KG weight, as well as a max speed of 20 MPH. A user responding to these leaks says that 105-120 Newton Meters of torque would position the bike as one of the most powerful on the market.

This includes DJI’s new bike brand, AMFLOW, which the officially announced Avinox motor will power. Included in the pictures is a charger, which appears to be using a kettle cable. Presumably, this would go hand in hand with DJI’s universal power supply, the Power 1000.

DJI’s entry into the e-bike space is unexpected, but not surprising. The company is currently mired in political issues in the United States. Currently, there’s a bill to put a blanket ban on new DJI drones, preventing them from being sold in the country.

The government’s reasoning involves fears that China might be collecting data based on the visuals and GPS trackers built into the drones. DJI stated in 2019 that it doesn’t send data back to China.

Currently, the Biden administration has also banned high-end computing hardware from being exported to China. Nvidia’s beefy AI parts like the H and A-series chips, have been prevented from entering the country.

Much like DJI, Nvidia has found ways to keep selling products in the country. This includes making a specific gaming GPU, the 4090D, to skirt the ban.

DJI’s drones have already come under massive scrutiny. With ongoing safety concerns about potential drone accidents after several incidents, the US currently requires pilots to register for a license if it weighs over 250 grams.

If DJI’s drones were to be banned in the US, it’d knock out a good portion of DJI’s US consumer-grade revenue. Outside of drones, the company is best known for its cinematography equipment, like gimbals. However, most of these are aimed at high-end or professional markets.

To make up for a potential loss, it appears new ground is being tread to avoid hinging reliance on their consumer camera offerings.