Aventon Reveals Its Responses to Trumps Tariffs

We have written extensively on the (potential) impact of Trump’s tariffs on the American and global economy, especially in light of the upcoming changes in the auto industry, which is definitely going to be hit by the tariffs.

There’s also the issue of Trump’s fight against EVs, which will also leave a mark on the automobile market. And while e-bikes aren’t automobiles, they are a means of transport and in the modern world, they are more and more popular.

We haven’t really talked about the impact of Trump’s policies on the e-bike market, but it’s time to do it. Namely, one of the largest electric bike brands in the US, Aventon, recently published a long text in which they revealed their response to the new policies.

The first main issue will be shifting the focus away from China. Since Trump’s tariffs are hitting China the hardest, Aventon is going to have to focus on other countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, which is fine, but this will create additional logistical problems and lead to price increases.

“The lack of localized suppliers means critical parts (e.g., motors, batteries) still often come from China. This creates a logistical puzzle: components are shipped to Southeast Asia for assembly, then transported to the U.S. This multi-step process adds 50+ days to shipment times compared to direct manufacturing in China,” the company explained.

As for the prices, Aventon is going to try to keep the prices as low as possible, but certain changes will probably happen. “In early 2025, we proactively shifted 100% of our production to Thailand, investing in factory partnerships by sending Aventon key stakeholders from the production, quality control, and industrial engineering teams. While this transition increased our manufacturing and logistics costs by 10-15%, we’ve chosen to absorb many of these expense,” the company said.

Still, with there being no guarantee that Trump won’t increase the tariffs for neighbouring countries as well, it is possible that the prices will go up even if the company manages to shift its focus away from China.

As for the potential of shifting production to the U.S., Aventon was clear that they won’t be heading in that direction. “Unfortunately, there is no supply chain of e-bike components here in the US and all key components are imposed with significant tariffs coming from China. Having e-bikes made in the US is not practical unless the parts tariffs are lifted. Then assembly first, followed by key components manufacturing in the long run, is possible,” they said.

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