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Two of my passions are electric bicycle projects and DIY solar powered projects. In fact I’ve written the book on both topics. So to see these two fields combined in one quirky-yet-awesome product totally made my week. I just hope you’re as excited as I am to dive into this strange electric bike/car contraption that boasts a heap of features from seating for two to a giant solar panel array offering nearly unlimited range!

It’s just one of many strange, awesome and fun-looking electric vehicles I’ve discovered while window shopping on the world’s most eclectic digital thrift store: Alibaba. And now it has the honor of officially becoming this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week!

We’ve seen solar powered electric bicycles before, but they’re usually designed with some serious pedaling requirements. The low power of even large-sized panels means that riders generally still have to provide some significant leg assist.

But this giant electric bicycle – errr, tricycle – has a huge canopy housing five 120 W solar panels for a total of 600W of power. It solved the panel size problem by wearing them as a hat instead of dragging them along behind the bike.

Keep in mind that you’re probably only going to get a maximum of 400W or 450W of real power in ideal conditions, but that’s still plenty considering the motor size.

They only outfitted the bike with a small 250W rear motor, so even spotty sun should give you as much power as you’re draining from the battery. That means you’ve got essentially unlimited range as long as the sun is out.

And even when the sun goes down, this solar-powered e-bike has you covered with a generous 60V and 20Ah battery packing 1,200 Wh of capacity. The batteries seem to be mounted on the two rear rails, so we’re likely looking at a pair of 60V10Ah packs in parallel.

If you assume a constant 250W draw, that’s nearly five hours of riding after the sun goes down. Plan your sleep pattern and bathroom breaks correctly and you could practically ride cross-country for weeks without ever having to plug in to charge. And the pair of pedals on the driver’s side means you could theoretically go it on your own if you ever ran out of juice after a particularly long cloudy period. Or you could carry an electric generator with you to recharge on the fly! Or you could just slap on a second 60V20Ah e-bike battery for cheap. The possibilities are as endless as the sun! (As in about 5 billions years more of them.)

The solar panel canopy also gives plenty of shade and even provides a mount for headlights hoisted up high for good visibility.

Slung below the canopy are not one but two recumbent style chairs that will surely prove much more comfortable than bicycle saddles on that cross country trip. How long you’ll be able to stand being shoulder to shoulder with your riding partner while cruising at a frustratingly slow top speed of 30 km/h (18 mph) remains to be seen.

It’s unclear how steering works as the rear wheel appears to be fixed and the front wheels lack an axle or articulating steering. Perhaps those details combined with the lack of any brake calipers connected to that handbrake lever might be a clue that this is an unfinished rendering. Either that or you steer it like a canoe and apply the brakes just like Fred Flintstone.

Yabadabadoo!

I want to click that orange button so bad!

One of my favorite parts of this solar powered electric bike is the price – just a quaint $1,550! Many of my favorite non-solar powered e-bikes cost more than that, and they only fit one rider!

The only downside is that the Alibaba vendor has a minimum order quantity of 100 units.

Just for kicks and giggles, I started down that road and got a quote of around $36,000 for shipping to the US. So at $191,000 for a hundred units, I may just need to start my own solar racing league and let the sponsors pay the bill.

You know, if this thing actually exists.


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Ed Sheeran apologises to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after interrupting Sky interview

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Ed Sheeran apologises to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after interrupting Sky interview

Ed Sheeran has apologised to Manchester United’s new manager for interrupting him during a live Sky Sports interview.

Ruben Amorim was speaking after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when the singer walked up to hug analyst Jamie Redknapp.

His intervention brought the interview to a halt before Redknapp told Sheeran to “come and say hello in a minute”.

Some people on social media said Sheeran had been “rude” and called for him to apologise.

Pic: AP
Image:
Sheeran celebrates during the match. Pic: AP

“Apologies if I offended Amorim yesterday, didn’t actually realise he was being interviewed at the time, was popping to say hi and bye to Jamie,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram.

“Obvz feel a bit of a bellend but life goes on. Great game though, congrats on all involved.”

The game at Portman Road was Amorim’s first since he left Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon to take over at United.

Marcus Rashford scored after two minutes before Omari Hutchinson equalised for the home side.

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Sheeran, a lifelong Ipswich fan, holds a minority stake in the club.

He was pictured celebrating after Hutchinson’s goal.

Last week Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton said Sheeran helped the club sign a new player in the off-season by taking a Zoom call with him just before he went on stage with Taylor Swift.

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Kate Nash says selling photos of her bum on OnlyFans paid for an extra tour crew member

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Kate Nash says selling photos of her bum on OnlyFans paid for an extra tour crew member

Kate Nash says selling photos of her bottom on the X-rated site OnlyFans has allowed her to add an extra crew member to her tour staff.

The 37-year-old singer says the fact she is having to subsidise her shows in this way shows that the music industry is “completely broken”.

She announced she was launching her OnlyFans account last week as she began the UK leg of her tour, and has previously said on Instagram that, “touring makes losses not profits”.

Speaking about her new venture to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she said it was “very funny” and “fun to do,” adding, “My industry is completely broken, I don’t think it’s sustainable, and I think it’s a complete failure, I think it will collapse as well”.

Going on to talk about “people finding solutions to fund their art,” she said: “I think it’s quite empowering, and I’m also creating jobs with my bum now.

“For example, I couldn’t bring a crew member that’s on tour with me in the UK to Europe, but now I can, because of my OnlyFans website.”

Read more:
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She has previously described the career move as a “punk protest,” containing “lots of comedy”.

Speaking to LBC last week, she said: “The cost of touring has gone up. Just like the cost of living crisis, there’s a cost-of-touring crisis – where the cost of travel, accommodation, crew wages, bus rental, all the things that you need to pay for when you go on tour, everything’s gone up.

“But a lot of bands’ and artists’ fees for gigs have not gone up, whereas ticket prices have gone up.”

Nash also said music was an “exploitative industry,” adding, “I have had lots of experience of being exploited”.

She said it could “learn a lot from the sex industry”.

Beginning her career in 2005, Nash has had one UK top 10 single – 2007’s Foundations – and two UK top 10 albums.

She has just finished a three-week US tour and is now touring the UK before moving on to Europe. Her London gig later this week is sold out.

And Nash isn’t the only one branching out to bring in cash. Lily Allen said earlier this year that she had joined OnlyFans to sell photographs of her feet.

The 39-year-old Smile singer, who moved to the US in 2020, says she has “very strict guidelines” and is charging subscribers $10 (£8) a month to view images of her feet on the platform.

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Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

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Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

Davina McCall has said her short-term memory is “a bit remiss” as she recovers from brain tumour surgery.

Speaking from her bed, the visibly emotional TV presenter posted a short video updating her Instagram followers on her condition, saying it had been a “mad” time.

She expressed an “enormous heartfelt thank you” to people who had messaged her after she revealed this month she had a benign brain tumour, a colloid cyst, which she described as “very rare”.

Looking bright, but with a visibly bruised left eye, McCall said: “My short-term memory is a bit remiss.

“But that is something I can work on, so I’m really happy about that. I’m writing everything down, to keep myself feeling safe.”

She added: “It’s been mad, and it’s just really nice to be back home, I’m on the other side.”

In a message posted with the video, she reiterated her thanks for all the support she has received, adding: “Had a great night’s sleep in my own bed. Have a couple of sleeps during the day which keeps my brain clear… Slowly, slowly…”

When she first shared her diagnosis, she said chances of having it were “three in a million” and that she had discovered it several months previously after a company offered her a health scan in return for giving a menopause talk.

The 57-year-old star said support from her fans had “meant the world”.

She said she was being “brilliantly looked after” by her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and her stepmother, Gabby, who she calls mum.

Becoming tearful, the presenter said: “I’d quickly like to say big up the stepmums. I don’t really say thank you to Gabby enough. She’s been an amazing rock my whole life.”

McCall was estranged from her birth mother, Florence McCall, who died in 2008.

Kate coming out of the Big Brother house in 2002
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McCall with 2002 Big Brother winner Kate Lawler. Pic: Rex Features

With a catch in her voice, McCall went on: “I’ve got a massive dose of vitamin G – I’m just really grateful. I’ve always been really lucky in my life, but I feel unbelievably grateful right now. So, thanks for everything, all of you.

“I’m on the mend, I’m resting and sleeping loads and I feel really good. I’m just very lucky.”

Stars including presenter Alison Hammond, singer Craig David and radio host Zoe Ball quickly shared their delight at the positive update.

McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.

Davina McCall  with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Pic: PA
Image:
McCall with her MBE, alongside her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA

She’s gone on to present programmes across the networks, the most recent being ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad.

Last year, McCall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.

Married twice, McCall has three children, two daughters and a son, with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson.

She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and they present a weekly lifestyle podcast together, Making The Cut.

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