Weird Alibaba: This Chinese electric tractor can tow more than your dinosaur truck
Each week I dig around in the bottom of the barrel of China’s weirdest shopping site, dragging to the surface a funky electric vehicle to laugh either with and/or at. They’re usually fairly underpowered things, coasting by on their good looks and charm. But this week we’ve got the opposite: a vehicle so ugly that not even its mother could love it, but that can haul so much that it doesn’t even care.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is your big boy. And it’s perfect for this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week.
When I was kid I wanted to have a tug boat. I thought it was so cool that a little boat could pull those massive ships around.
But then I grew up and realized that a tugboat probably wasn’t the most practical daily life vehicle.
Fortunately though I’ve found the land equivalent that solves the practicality problem: An airport electric tractor.
This baby has the horses to pull just about anything to anywhere. It can haul your overweight bags, it can move and airplane, and it could probably relocate a terminal if necessary.
I know you think your big truck is impressive. Oh, it can tow a trailer? That’s cute. My electric tractor can haul the factory where your trailer was made.
Any truck on the market today is a child’s toy compared to this thing. The F-150 Lightning? Take your 7,000 pounds of towing capacity and go home. The Rivian R1T? Your 11,000 pound towing capacity is adorable. Step back, boys and girls, while I demonstrate my rice-fed 60,000 pounds of stump-pulling raw towing capacity.
That’s right. This thing could help Lincoln stand up at his DC memorial. It could straighten out the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It could pull a tooth out of Chuck Norris. Maybe. If you caught him by surprise.
This 9,200 pound beast weighs as much as a HUMMER EV supertruck yet can tow 9x as much.
Hell, you could link six of those massive HUMMER EVs nose to toes like the world’s most manhood-compensated train and you could still tow that rolling provocation with this little airport tug.
How do they do it? I have no idea. It runs on an 80V system, though I’ve got a leaf blower that also runs on 80V. Either those Chinese engineers are up to something, or I’ve been seriously babying that blower.
The cool thing about owning one of these electric tractors is that you could use it get out of so many sticky situations.
The next time you’re in a jam, just think about whether 60,000 pounds of towing capacity could solve the problem.
Double-parked by some butt-hat that’s “just running in for a couple minutes”? Not anymore, you aren’t!
Neighborhood kids threw toilet paper in your trees again but it’s too high to get out? Bam! No more tree!
The best parking locations at Home Depot have those annoying concrete bollards keeping you out? What bollards?!
There’s nothing this electric tractor can’t do. Pick one of these puppies up and you’ll be looking for uses left and right. Just wait until your wife hands you another pickle jar to open. It’s going to be epic.
The only problem is that this electric tractor is also epically expensive.
At a cool $53,000, I don’t know how I’m going to justify bringing one of these electric tractors into my life.
Eh, I’ll just tell my publisher we could use one around the Electrek office. Or in case we ever need to move the office.
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Tesla has officially launched a new version of the Cybertruck RWD for $70,000 in the US and Mexico.
It’s more expensive than previously announced and loses a ton of features, but it has more range.
Earlier today, we reported on Tesla unveiling in the Middle East a new ‘Cybertruck Long Range’.
The automaker confirmed that it had a single rear-wheel-drive (RWD) motor, but unlike the previously announced Cybertruck RWD, Tesla said it had 350 rather than 250 miles of range.
This would point to having the same battery pack as the Dual Motor and Cyberbeast currently available.
At the time, it wasn’t clear if Tesla was launching this specific version for the Middle East or if it was the new Cybertruck RWD to replace the previously announced $62,000 version.
Now, Tesla has opened orders in the online configurator for the US and Mexico of the new Cybertruck Long Range RWD:
It starts at $70,000 before incentive – $9,000 more than the previously announced Cybertruck, but it has 100 more miles on a single charge at 350 miles.
It’s also $10,000 less expensive than the Cybertruck Dual Motor.
You not only lose a motor, but you also lose the powered tonneau. You can buy a “soft tonneau” for $750 and it increases the range to 362 miles:
The new cheaper version also loses the adaptive suspension, the lightbar at the back, the rear screen, and even the bed outlets, according to Tesla’s website.
Tesla says that deliveries are going to start in June.
Electrek’s Take
I might be wrong, but I would assume that the previously announced $61,000 Cybertruck is not going to happen. The Cybertruck is likely proving to be too low-volume to warrant producing different sizes of battery packs.
However, this version might be just to make the $80,000 Cybertruck look better.
It’s not to lose the AWD, the tonneau, the adaptive suspension, and even the bed outlets for $10,000.
These are all pretty essential features of the Cybertruck. I don’t think this version will sell much at $70,000. Maybe they get a few sales of people trying to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit.
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![This electric excavator has battery swap tech that lets it recharge in minutes [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/electric-excavator.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
UPDATE: telematics announcement.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
Telematics announcement at bauma
Earlier today, XCMG launched its next-generation Xrea Global Telematics Platform, integrating IoT, big data, cloud computing, and AI to enable what it’s caling, “seamless cross-border fleet management.”
The new telematics platform supports a dozen languages via PC and mobile interfaces, and offers real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and data-driven optimization of both the vehicle and the vehicle’s batteries, empowering equipment managers and fleet operators to track fleets across town, or across time zones.
“XCMG remains committed to advancing engineering technology to empower a sustainable future. Our mission is to deliver efficient, intelligent, and eco-friendly lifecycle solutions for global clients,” said Mr. Yang Dongsheng, Chairman of XCMG Group and XCMG Machinery. “Today, 19% of our product portfolio comprises green innovations under our ‘Green Mountain’ new energy line, with full electrification across all series underway.”
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG; via PR Newswire.
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