Weird Alibaba: Who wants this cheap 33 ft electric cherry picker straight from China?
Some of you who follow this tongue-in-cheek series may know that I’ve long sought after an electric aircraft from Alibaba to bestow upon it the dubious honor of being featured here. I’ve gotten close, but no cigar. I still haven’t caught my white whale this week on China’s largest online shopping platform Alibaba, but they say if you’re going to shoot for the stars, then you’d better aim for the lowest one. And that’s what I plan to do with my very own electric aerial work platform. Or as we called them as kids, cherry pickers.
Apparently these things go by a lot of names. Cherry pickers, aerial work platforms, bucket trucks, mobile elevating work platforms, bad ideas on wheels, etc.
But they all have two things in common: They drive around and the stick people where the gods didn’t intend them to get to.
And for a mere $5,000, this Chinese electric cherry picker could be mine, lifting me to heights of 10 meters (33 feet) with the same fuel source running through my e-bike and your Tesla: electricity! Think of all the sleeping giants you can sneak up on with this silent stalker of the skies.
I assume these Alibaba specials require some basic level of training, but if SONDORS can ship electric motorcycles without even the hint of an instruction manual, then why can’t I just figure out an electric articulating arm crane on my own?
Alibaba’s finest electric lift
The cool thing is that the 10-meter version is just the beginning. These bad boys come in a model line that goes all the way up to 18 meters (59 feet)! At that height, it might be worth reading the instruction manual, lest you suffer the same fate that our graphics guy seems to think will befall me.
Amazingly it only takes a 4,000 watt motor to power the various hydraulic pumps and rams on this massive children’s toy. Considering that’s around the same power of the motor in my mini Chinese electric pickup truck, I’d say that’s pretty impressive for such a little motor.
But don’t let the low power of this Alibaba electric lift fool you. This thing was made for getting stuff done, I tell ya! When the next hurricane comes and your neighbors are all out of power, you’ll get the last laugh when the next morning you’re up there plugging stuff in and jamming high voltage wires wherever they look like they should go.
You know why they make telephone poles so high, don’t you? It’s because they don’t want us seeing all the cool stuff they keep up there. Well now that we can all buy our own elevated work platforms, those utility men are going to have build even higher ivory towers, now aren’t they?!
There are a thousand and one uses for these things.
Hang the most awesome Halloween decorations. Clean your gutters yourself. Save a kitten from a tree without bothering the fire department. Put another more annoying kitten up IN a tree. Hey, some of them have it coming.
I’d say the sky is the limit, but that just isn’t true anymore, now is it?
The next time you need help changing the lightbulbs in your lofted ceiling, you know who to call. I’ll be there in a jiffy with my Alibaba special to help you out for the cool price of $5,000. I gotta pay this thing off somehow!
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Shares of USA Rare Earth jumped in extended trading Thursday, after CEO Barbara Humpton told CNBC that the rare earth miner is “in close communication” with the White House.
Humpton’s comment comes after the Trump administration took a 5% equity stake in Lithium Americas this week. The Defense Department took a 15% stake in rare earth miner MP Materials in July.
“We are in close communication with the administration,” Humpton told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan when asked whether USA Rare Earth was interested in a deal with the Trump administration.
USA Rare Earth stock year to date.
USA Rare Earth shares were last up about 8% after hours. Its stock gained 23% in regular trading Thursday and has nearly doubled this year.
“This is a field where it will not be a zero sum game,” Humpton said of the rare earth supply chain. “It’s going to take a lot of players to build out this marketplace.”
USA Rare Earth is developing a mine in Sierra Blanca, Texas, and a magnet production facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Humpton said she supports the Trump administration’s deals with MP and Lithium Americas.
“What we’re doing is keeping the administration informed of our own plans,” she said.
The adminstration has said it is making the investments to help support the industry and break U.S. dependence on China.
Environment
Tesla applies for patent to make Cybertruck look even more ridiculous but more efficient
Tesla has applied for a new patent that would make the Cybertruck look even more ridiculous than it already does, but it would also make towing more efficient.
The Cybertruck is one of, if not the most, polarizing vehicles of all time, and its design is primarily to blame.
Much of the design is due to the use of stainless steel panels and the attempt to make pickup trucks more aerodynamically efficient.
Tesla has managed to improve on the drag coefficient of the average pickup truck.
However, it doesn’t help much with towing a trailer, which is going to catch a lot of that drag.
Tesla has now applied for a new patent on a device that would help push wind over a trailer towed by the Cybertruck.
The American automaker wrote in the abstract of the patent application:
An inflatable aerodynamic deflector to reduce drag and enhance efficiency. Constructed from drop stitch material, it forms one or more air chambers between parallel skins. The component includes a pressure regulation mechanism and diverse attachment interfaces such as rail systems, magnetic fasteners, and quick disconnect clips, distributed along the vehicle for secure mounting. This component acts as an aerodynamic deflector, optimizing airflow around conveyances, especially combination vehicles like tow vehicles and trailers.
In short, Tesla is working on an inflatable device that could sit on the bed of the Cybertruck and rise to close the air gap between the truck, thereby extending the angle of the windshield over the trailer.
Here are some of the drawings from the patent application
Electrek’s Take
To be fair, companies often apply for patents on products that they don’t have concrete plans to bring to production, and this could easily be the case here.
That’s especially true for the Cybertruck.
The program is so much smaller than Tesla anticipated, and with smaller volumes, it makes less sense to launch accessories.
That said, I’m pro everything that makes driving more efficient, regardless of whether it makes a vehicle silly.
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The 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric lineup will be offered in a single trim, but at least it’s the most affordable one.
Here’s the new 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric lineup
With the IONIQ 5 stealing the spotlight, Hyundai is downsizing the 2026 Kona Electric to just one trim — the base SE model.
Hyundai didn’t provide prices, but the 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric SE was the brand’s most affordable EV, starting at just $32,975. The SEL, Limited, and N Line trims will not be offered for the 2026 model year.
In another blow, Hyundai is also dropping the Long Range battery, meaning the 2026 Kona Electric will only be available with the Standard Range battery.
The Long Range 64.8 kWh battery offers a driving range of up to 261 miles, while the Standard Range 48.6 kWh battery delivers a driving range of just 200 miles. The only other change is that the SE trim will now include a larger console tray.
With new models arriving, like the 2026 Nissan LEAF and the 2027 Chevy Bolt EV, the Kona Electric will no longer be one of the few EVs starting under $35,000.
Nissan claims the 2026 LEAF “has the lowest starting MSRP for any new EV currently on sale in the US” at just $29,990. The new LEAF also offers significantly more range, with over 300 miles, and features a NACS port for recharging at Tesla Superchargers.
While it’s cutting the Kona Electric lineup, Hyundai appears to be focused on its top-selling EV for 2026, the IONIQ 5.
Following the expiration of the federal EV tax credit, Hyundai reduced prices on the 2026 IONIQ 5 by up to nearly $10,000 on certain trims. The 2026 IONIQ 5 now starts at just $35,000. It’s also extending the $7,500 credit for 2025 models.
Is the Kona Electric on its way out with the IONIQ 5 now available for about the same price? Either that, or Hyundai will have to cut prices on the Kona EV to stay competitive.
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