Connect with us

Published

on

Back in high school, prom night saw several of the senior elite roll up to the dance in fancy limos. Something tells me that if I had pulled the same move in this funny stretch limousine electric tricycle, I might not have gotten a quick invite to the cool kids’ table. But that’s ok. Life’s too short to care about anything other than having fun — and this trike has fun written all over it in size 12,000 font.

Electric tricycles have made it into the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week series before, but not like this.

Past entries have included electric three-wheeled RV campers and electric drift trikes, but this is by far the longest trike I’ve seen.

The rear bed (cage?) measures 1.6 x 6 meters (5′ x 20′), and that’s not even including the cab.

The old adage says size might not matter, but no one told that to whoever designed this ladder on wheels.

I’m not quite sure what was going through their heads this time. Maybe they just had a pile of extra rails and decided to use them all up on the last trike of the day.

Or perhaps someone accidentally missed a decimal point on a spec sheet, and this is what rolled off of the assembly line.

However, this extended-release trike made it into the world, and I’m just glad it did!

I guess it’s probably designed more for rural work, which would make sense. Why order a logging truck when a logging trike can do the same thing with one less wheel? Or maybe take it on a hayride. You could fit everyone from town in just one loop!

Or maybe it’s an agricultural shuttle bus. At the end of the day, all the farmhands can hop in the back and ride off towards the sunset — or the closest bus stop. It may not be covered in the back, but at least the driver gets a fully enclosed cabin and even a working windshield wiper. So that’s 50 drenched dudes in the back and one happy clam up front.

With a maximum of a 4 kW motor, the acceleration is likely anywhere from peppy when the trike is empty, all the way to a snail’s crawl when it is fully loaded down.

The top speed of 30 km/h (18 mph) sounded a bit disappointing to me at first. But the more I thought about it, the more reason began to kick in. How fast do I really want to be going in this thing? A full bore, I think I might just punch through the wall on any sharp turn, so maybe slower is the way to go here. Frankly, it looks like it has both the turning radius and stability of a canoe.

But at least this rolling scaffolding should be able to ride all day. It sports an 8.6 kWh battery, which is easily 3-4x the size of most electric scooter batteries. I guess when you have this much space, it’d be a shame not to fill it with batteries.

I’m no stranger to trike trucks — I’ve even done a full review on a pretty fun one. But they are usually much closer to the electric bicycle end of the spectrum. On the other hand, these Asian trikes are much more vehicle-centric, which obviously adds to their utility and charm.

You know what else adds to their charm? The fact that they can be yours for the low, low price of just $2,000! Of course, that doesn’t include shipping, which isn’t going to be cheap since you’d pretty much need an entire 40′ shipping container to move one of these around the world.

But hey, we can dream about having our own stretch limousine electric tricycle. Next time they need someone to move a wind turbine blade, they’ll know who to call.


Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Russell Brand ‘ripped holes in woman’s tights’ and ‘refused to call her taxi until she performed a sex act’

Published

on

By

Russell Brand 'ripped holes in woman's tights' and 'refused to call her taxi until she performed a sex act'

A woman has told Sky News that Russell Brand made her feel “vulnerable and intimidated” – and alleges he refused to call her a taxi until she performed a sex act.

It comes as new allegations continue to emerge about the comedian’s behaviour, as another organisation cut ties with him.

Sarah, whose name has been changed, claims she met Russell Brand on an aeroplane where he “seemed friendly and charming”.

He invited her for breakfast and a walk after the flight and she agreed to travel in his limousine.

“He changed,” she says, “like he wasn’t friendly and charming in the limo. He was aggressive and I felt very vulnerable and intimidated.”

She describes Brand “jumping” on her.

Cast member Russell Brand arrives at the premiere of "Rock of Ages" at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California June 8, 2012. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 15.   REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni  (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)
Image:
Russell Brand in 2012. File pic

“The limo driver was turning around a few times because I was saying no, but he ripped a hole – more than one hole – in the tights that I was wearing,” she says.

Sarah says they drove straight to Brand’s house where they had consensual sex.

“I mean, it was consensual. I didn’t say no,” she said, “but I feel like there’s a fine line between being forced and being coerced, you know, like being in a situation where the only way out is just to get it over and done with and leave.”

She claims Brand then refused to call her a taxi until she performed oral sex on him.

“I wanted to leave and I said, ‘I need to get a taxi’. And he said, ‘I’m not going to get you a taxi until you do this’, which was a sex act.”

She describes feeling “really trapped” and wanting to “scale that house.”

Sky News has reached out to Russell Brand’s representatives for comment.

Read more:
The allegations in full
Stars’ past warnings resurface
From drug addict to controversial comedy star

‘No, no, no’

The BBC, meanwhile, has said it is looking into new allegations by another woman who claimed he exposed himself to her.

The woman, whom the BBC is naming ‘Olivia’, said she was working in the same building as Brand 15 years ago in Los Angeles when the incident happened.

She claims she answered the door to Brand and his team, and when she went into the bathroom she noticed he was behind her.

Speaking to the BBC, she claims Brand said he was going to have sex with her, to which she replied “no, you’re not”.

Olivia then alleges Brand showed her his genitals to which she responded with “no, no, no”.

She says she returned to her desk afterwards and texted a BBC employee in the office about what had happened.

The employee told her that he knew because Brand was talking about it in the studio, on Radio 2.

Russell Brand in 2008
Image:
Russell Brand in 2008

In the broadcast, which aired on 21 June 2008, Brand is heard speaking to his co-presenter Matt Morgan about it.

Morgan said: “[It’s been] 25 minutes since he showed his w**** to a lady,” and referred to “the receptionist”.

Brand is apparently heard laughing in the background.

According to the BBC report, Olivia never made a complaint, but management was informed in 2019 and no formal action was taken.

The BBC said it was sorry to hear the allegations and would investigate them as part of a review into Brand’s time at the BBC.

In a statement reported on BBC News, Matt Morgan said: “I was not aware until now of the nature of this encounter.

“I’ve expressed my regrets now looking back at the impact of the show and this is a further example.

“The recent coverage has been very distressing to read and I reiterate my absolute condemnation of any form of the mistreatment of women.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Dispatches programme makers speak

‘Open secret’

Comedian Nish Kumar has also spoken out, on his Pod Save The UK podcast, describing the presence of alleged sexual predators as an “open secret” on the comedy scene.

Brand, 48, has previously been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four other women between 2006 and 2013.

He has denied all the claims – saying that his relationships have always been consensual.

The accusations were first reported by the Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches earlier this month.

The Metropolitan Police subsequently said it had received a sexual assault allegation against Brand dating back to 2003.

As a result, a number of organisations have now cut ties with the presenter.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

C4 boss: Brand allegations ‘disgusting’

The latest to end its association with Brand is the Treasures Foundation, which said it had been “extremely saddened” by the allegations.

In a statement, the charity said it was “founded on Christian principles” and is “totally committed to advocating for the voices of women”.

It continues: “As a result of the recent media investigation into Russell Brand, we have made the decision to no longer receive any support from Mr Brand, and the Stay Free Foundation.

“Moving forward our focus remains on the women under our care.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Comedian Nish Kumar says presence of sexual predators in industry is ‘open secret’ following Russell Brand allegations

Published

on

By

Comedian Nish Kumar says presence of sexual predators in industry is 'open secret' following Russell Brand allegations

Nish Kumar says young women have been advised to steer clear of dressing rooms used by ‘predators’ still working on the comedy scene.

The comedian also said the knowledge of Russell Brand‘s alleged abuse against young women was “a well-known open secret on the comedy circuit” and he thinks it’s likely “there’s more allegations to come”.

Cast member Russell Brand arrives at the premiere of "Rock of Ages" at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California June 8, 2012. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 15.   REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni  (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)
Image:
Russell Brand

Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse and sexual misconduct by a number of women – claims he vehemently denies.

Speaking on his Pod Save The UK podcast, Kumar said: “This stuff is still happening, there are still people working in comedy who are the subject of open secrets.

“There are still people who work in comedy that we can’t name because again, of the threat of lawsuits. And there are still people working in comedy who people will say, ‘Oh, we don’t send young women into their dressing room’.”

The 38-year-old added: “Now at that stage for me, you should be sacked from that job. If you can’t have someone be around young women, they have no place in any kind of workplace.

“The tolerance of it is something that we are going to have to actually have a reckoning with.”

More on Russell Brand

Kumar, who previously hosted The Mash Report and Late Night Mash – said he first heard about Brand’s alleged wrongdoings in mid-2017, and that “from that point onwards it was well known”.

He said it went on to be discussed by multiple comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018.

However, he said the “very specific and serious allegation” against Brand that he had first been made aware of was not one that was discussed in the Channel 4 Dispatches programme which aired at the weekend.

For that reason, Kumar said he thinks “it is possible that there’s more allegations to come”.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Pointing to Brand’s diminishing TV work in the UK after 2019, Kumar said: “That’s simply because increasingly people were just not willing to work with him. Everyone was afraid to talk about it because of the threat of lawsuits, you know?

“And so, the only power people had was to withdraw participation from shows involving Russell Brand.”

Abuse of power is an industry wide problem

He said as a comedian working in the industry, he too felt a sense of “guilt” and “complicity”.

Kumar said: “Watching it as a cisgendered, heterosexual male comedian, you feel a certain sense of guilt and a certain sense of complicity because you’ve been working with production companies and producers who are providing an infrastructure that allows predators to thrive.”

He said the “indulgence” of top talent was “an issue that cuts across all of the industries,” and which needed to be addressed.

Kumar concluded: “The only people to come out of this with anything approaching any credibility are the victims who have been brave enough to step forward and the journalists who have worked extremely hard to produce rigorous pieces of journalism so that they could get around the threats of a very powerful man’s lawyers.”

Read more:
The allegations in full
Stars’ past warnings resurface
From drug addict to controversial comedy star

Brand, 48, was initially accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women with the alleged offences taking place between 2006 and 2013.

The comedian and presenter denies the claims, and says all his relationships have been consensual.

Following the report by the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches, two further women have come forward with allegations against Brand.

The Metropolitan Police says it has received an allegation of sexual assault against him dating back to 2003.

The BBC also says it is looking into allegations by a woman who claims Brand exposed himself to her and then laughed about it afterwards on his Radio 2 show.

In the wake of the claims, numerous companies have cut ties with Brand including his management company, a women’s charity and several of his YouTube sponsors.

Sky News has approached Russell Brand for comment.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Angus Cloud: Euphoria star’s cause of death revealed as accidental overdose

Published

on

By

Angus Cloud: Euphoria star's cause of death revealed as accidental overdose

Euphoria actor Angus Cloud died from an accidental overdose from a lethal combination of drugs, a California coroner’s report has found.

The 25-year-old was found unresponsive at his family home in Oakland in July.

Cloud died of a lethal mix of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and benzodiazepines, the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau confirmed to Sky News’ partner network NBC News.

Following his death, Cloud’s mother said on social media that she believed her son “did not intend to end his life,” and said he had been talking about his plans for himself and his family in the hours before he died.

His family also spoke about his battles with mental health, saying, “we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence”.

The actor had been mourning the death of his own father from mesothelioma (a type of cancer) and had travelled to Ireland to bury him the week before his death.

Cloud was best known for playing the drug dealer Fezco opposite Zendaya on hit teen drama show Euphoria.

He was working in a restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, when he was scouted for his first acting role by Euphoria’s casting director.

Read more:
Lizzo faces new harassment claims from former wardrobe designer
Man dies driving off collapsed bridge following Google Maps

Following his death, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson said: “There was no one quite like Angus. He was too special, too talented and way too young to leave us so soon. He also struggled, like many of us, with addiction and depression.

“I hope he knew how many hearts he touched. I loved him. I always will. Rest in peace and God Bless his family.”

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

Continue Reading

Trending