While everyone at Juiced Bikes is working diligently to expedite the production and delivery of our new Scorpion product line, we are also dealing with an unprecedented global pandemic. This crisis has created extraordinary disruptions to our economy and businesses, but the threat to our population, especially the sick and elderly, is of far greater importance. For Juiced Bikes, our community of customers, suppliers, business partners and employees extends to several countries across nearly every continent.
As many of you know, we manufacture and operate facilities in mainland China. To help control the spread of the coronavirus, the entire country was completely shut down for several weeks in February. This had a profound impact on all Chinese manufacturing and was very much outside of our direct control. The Juiced factory in China has reopened and manufacturing operations have slowly started to resume. This unforeseen shutdown, however, not only impacted delivery of Juiced e-bikes, but created severe global supply chain disruptions for thousands of companies around the world.
The spread of the coronavirus is now accelerating in other parts of the world, including here in the United States. Many of our company’s employees, including myself, continue to be affected by ongoing travel restrictions, adding another hurdle in our efforts to complete the development and manufacturing of the Scorpion and HyperScorpion. Like so many other companies, organizations, neighborhoods and communities, we are simply doing the very best we can during an unprecedented situation. It will take some time, and a great deal of patience, but we will persevere.
Fortunately, we did receive our first batch of Scorpion e-bikes before the virus became an epidemic. Thanks to a tremendous effort by our manufacturing team, this shipment was received weeks before our published arrival date. And these bikes are currently being delivered to our early backers. We are thrilled to see photos from so many satisfied customers now that they’re able to ride their new bikes. For the remaining Scorpion backers, and all of our Hyper backers, please accept our sincerest apologies that the delivery of your bikes has been delayed because of the coronavirus.
Ongoing Updates:
I’ve seen many comments and complaints about the limited number of production and delivery updates, especially for the HyperScorpion, we have provided over the last several weeks. Admittedly, I have been somewhat restrained in releasing information due to a stunning level of counterfeiting and intellectual property theft related to the Scorpion e-bike. During our last Indiegogo campaign, companies produced an almost exact replica of our Scrambler e-bike. More recently, the impact of the coronavirus is evolving so rapidly that we’re also reluctant to post an update that isn’t completely stabilized, and may even be inaccurate after a very short period of time.
With that said, I understand that our Indiegogo supporters and pre-sale customers deserve honest, transparent and consistent communications from Juiced Bikes. From today forward, we will provide a weekly update on Scorpion and HyperScorpion schedules EVERY Friday before 3pm (Pacific Time), and will do so until the shipment of Scorpion and HyperScorpion pre-orders is complete. I can’t promise that we’ll have extensive information to share every week, but I am committing to deliver some type of update every single Friday.
Current Scorpion & HyperScorpion Delivery Schedule:
The development of the Scorpion is 100% complete. We have placed parts and component orders for every pre-ordered Scorpion and HyperScorpion. Lead times for these parts are fairly inconsistent because many suppliers are not yet back to full production capacity, but we are making great progress in moving production forward.
Based on the current production schedule, we will be receiving a complete shipment of Scorpion e-bikes (blue and black) in May, 2020 and will begin shipping to pre-order customers immediately. We will receive HyperScorpion e-bikes (all colors) in June, 2020 and will begin shipping to all pre-order customers immediately. Every Scorpion and HyperScorpion will be processed for delivery using a first-ordered, first-shipped system.
I’m excited to share that we have developed a custom Juiced-designed 1,000W motor for the HyperScorpion in partnership with Bafang. This motor is exclusive to the Juiced brand and the only motor of its type. The tooling for the motor took a little longer than expected, but has now been completed.
Finalizing the production of the Scorpion and HyperScorpion e-bikes has taken priority over accessory development. We have built a prototype of the new tall seat and expect to ship this as an accessory to Scorpion purchasers in June. For customers that have placed an order for the HyperScorpion with a tall seat, this accessory will come on or around the same time as your new Hyper. The passenger kit is still in prototype development and should be available to ship in late June.
At Juiced, we are always pushing the boundaries of e-bike development and innovation. With the Scorpion, and especially with the Hyper, we are far exceeding expectations for the features and performance available on any other e-bike in this price range. This level of complexity and performance presents manufacturing challenges made even more difficult to overcome while battling the overwhelming complexities of a global pandemic. Please remember we are truly building the next generation of micromoblity products, and we are grateful to our supporters for their contributions to make this goal a reality.
On a Personal Note:
As an entrepreneur who has spent an extensive amount of time in China, and as a son of a Taiwanese immigrant with deep personal ties throughout Asia, I have been especially humbled by the fragile nature of our global connectivity. The coronavirus has quickly escalated, penetrating international borders, political affiliations and economic classes with unimaginable speed and authority. Ironically, while we contemplate and enact social distancing, personal isolation and community quarantines to minimize the damage of this frightening pandemic, we will actually rely on human ingenuity, diligence, compassion and personal sacrifice more than ever. Personally, I am grateful for your ongoing support and patience; Juiced customers are the most important contributors to our success and we will continue to do everything in our power to earn and maintain your trust.
As we enter into uncertain and distressing territory here in the United States, please be safe and protective of the health and well-being of you, your loved ones and your community.
