FUNTI's daily electric motorcycle market brief for September 18, 2026: raw material prices, overseas market regulation and China export data, compiled from public sources for importers, distributors and fleet operators.
FUNTI MARKET INTELLIGENCE · September 18, 2026
① Today's Highlights
- The national standard for battery-swap systems on electric motorcycles takes effect on October 1. China's State Administration for Market Regulation disclosed on September 16 that the standard "Technical Specification for Battery Swap Systems of Electric Motorcycles and Electric Mopeds" will be formally implemented, covering swap interfaces, battery packs and communication protocols. Models offered with a battery-swap option must complete a standards-compliance self-check in advance; pure charging models are unaffected. (Source: Caixin / State Administration for Market Regulation)
- At its regular press conference on September 17, the Ministry of Commerce said, through spokesperson He Yadong, that with regard to the arrangement for the USD 30 billion mutual tariff reduction between China and the United States, the two trade teams are maintaining close communication and will release progress in due course. The China-US tariff arrangement remains in the negotiating channel and has not been settled. (Source: CCTV News / Ministry of Commerce)
- The US House of Representatives passed a Russia sanctions bill on September 16, authorising the President to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, with China among the potential targets; China's Foreign Ministry responded on September 17 that it will take necessary measures to safeguard its lawful rights. This is a new tariff risk point, but it has not yet reached the implementation stage. (Source: Foreign Ministry / CCTV News)
- Electric motorcycle export tariffs and market-access policy: this search found no substantive new developments; the tariff adjustments already disclosed in previous reports are not repeated here. (Source: public information search)
② Raw Materials & FX
- Lithium carbonate: on September 17 the GFEX lithium carbonate front-month contract closed at RMB 131,180/t, up RMB 4,800 (+3.80%) on the day, ending its previous run of declines; the intraday high was RMB 132,400/t and the low RMB 126,200/t, with open interest at 415,800 lots (-1,647) and warrant stocks at 43,583 lots (-1,932). SMM's weekly review shows spot prices fell then rebounded over September 14–17, trending down overall. (Source: Antaike / East Money / SMM)
- Copper: on September 17 the SHFE copper 2610 contract closed at RMB 109,650/t, up RMB 1,540; SHFE zinc 2610 closed at RMB 26,505/t, up RMB 390, with base metals broadly firmer. (Source: cnal.com / SHFE)
- Aluminium: on September 17 the Shanghai spot aluminium average was RMB 24,170/t, with Zhongyuan at RMB 24,170/t, Nanhai at RMB 24,690/t and Guangdong Nancuh at RMB 24,400/t; the SHFE aluminium 2610 contract closed at RMB 24,400/t, up RMB 190. LME aluminium opened the day at USD 3,250/t and peaked at USD 3,284/t; the Fed's hawkish tone lifted the dollar and weighed on overseas valuations, while low LME inventories provided support. (Source: cnal.com / Antaike)
- Steel: on September 17 rebar spot prices rose by RMB 10–20/t in many regions of China, while hot-rolled coil spot prices were broadly stable; Shanghai Yonggang HRB400E Φ25 was quoted at RMB 3,270/t and Beijing Hegang Φ18 at RMB 3,110/t. Mysteel's rebar price index stood at 131.47 (+0.09%) and the HRC index at 118.55 (+0.09%); rebar 2701 closed the night session at RMB 3,115/t. (Source: Jintou.com / Mysteel / Gangxin Morning Report)
- FX: on September 17 the RMB central parity rate against the US dollar was 6.7580, 48 pips stronger than the previous trading day; EUR/CNY was 7.7350 and JPY100/CNY 4.3252. The September 18 fixing will be published at 9:15 and had not been released when this report was prepared. (Source: CFETS / China News Service)
③ Overseas Markets
- Africa is currently the fastest-growing export destination: in January–March 2026 China exported 1.753 million complete motorcycles to Africa, up +44.95% year on year, worth USD 948 million, up +48.01%, at an average unit price of about USD 541. (Source: customs data / industry statistics)
- Overseas footprint of the export cluster: the electric two-wheeler industry in Xishan District, Jiangsu exported USD 820 million in 2025, up 35.7%; it has built more than 4,000 overseas stores across 49 countries, 21 overseas production bases and 29 overseas warehouses, steadily improving local service capability. (Source: China Economic Net)
- Jordan adjusts vehicle taxes: from June 29, 2025, EVs are taxed at a flat 27%, while motorcycles and scooters saw rates cut from 45% to 33%, a structural reduction in two-wheeler tax burden in the Middle East market. (Source: HKTDC Research)
FUNTI · Taizhou Fangxiang Technology Co., Ltd.
Daily electric motorcycle market brief for importers, distributors and fleet operators. Figures are compiled from public market sources and industry associations; verify before commercial use.
