Weird Alibaba: Get a 3-person electric bike pedicab taxi for under $1,000!
It’s not everyday that the odd little EVs I find for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week are so cool that I’m tempted to buy them myself. But this week it’s going to be hard to pass up on this three-seater electric pedicab that you can own for a song!
Alright, so let’s dive in here. This is what we’re looking at: an electric trike with a pivoting front end that mounts a bench-style seat for two adults (or probably three kids squished shoulder to shoulder).
This 85 kg (187 lb.) electric rickshaw is the open-aired pedal minivan you’ve been looking for. Or maybe you haven’t been looking for it, but it found you anyway. Just look at the luck on you, my friend!
The electric pedicab comes with comfy cushions for the bench seat and backrest, diamond plate flooring, and even a set of wooden arm rests to keep your fares comfortable.
For the driver we’ve got a padded full-width handlebar and a six-speed transmission. Steering is accomplished by turning the whole front end of the e-trike, which is a dead simple way to offer the stability of a tadpole trike (two front wheels instead of two rear wheels) without the complexity of steering knuckles and articulating front wheels.
And of course the entire thing is electric, meaning you won’t have to pedal the 200 kg (440 lb.) payload capacity under your own strength, or at least not entirely by yourself.
Now I’ll be the first to say that the electric kit on this pedicab leaves a lot to be desired. It’s a simple 250W Dapu e-bike motor and controller. That means it’s not going to get rolling very quickly, and so it’s a good thing you’ve got a six-speed transmission that allows you to drop into low gear to help get things moving.
The bike includes a 36V 13Ah battery, which again, is not particularly large. But since this pedicab likely maxes out at around 25 km/h (15 mph), it’s not like you’re going to be burning up that much energy doing low-speed riding.
The company claims the e-rickshaw can handle a 35º hill, but that’s probably a fib taller than these handlebars. You’d have trouble walking up a 35º incline, let alone powering a heavy e-bike up one.
But we’ll let that slide since the bike seems to come with some pretty nice features. It even has hydraulic disc brakes plus a pair of storage compartments behind the seat! What’s not to like here?
You can see the major features in the video below. My favorite part is the tranquil music and the subtle narration.
But my favorite part of all of this is probably the price. The non-electric version of the pedidcab is priced at an amazingly affordable $685. If you want the electric pedicab, that’ll be a slightly higher but still more than reasonable $980.
And now you’re probably thinking that “sure, it’s cheap, but shipping is going to be the killer here.” And you’re right, sort of. I inquired about door-to-door shipping and the vendor told me that it’d cost over $1,000 to the US. So next I had the vendor check on LCL (less than container load) shipping to Miami port, which turned out to be a cool $280. Ka-ching!
If you’re on the West Coast then it’s probably going to be even cheaper, since you’ve got one less Panama Canal to navigate.
From there you’d still have other add-on charges, such as import duties, arrival duties, broker fees, and the responsibility of picking it up at port or trucking it yourself to your final destination. But you could probably be home free for less than $2,000 if you play your cards right. Is it going to be as nice as a $2,500 e-trike? No way. But can it carry more and give you a better story of how you got it to the US? Definitely.
And the best part is that this is all a write-off, since you’re definitely going to be starting a pedicab company with this thing, right?! I mean, why wouldn’t you? Charge $5 a ride and you’re just a mere 400 fares away from paying this bad boy off.
Realistically speaking, even if you’re not planning on bringing in 20 of these and becoming the next pedicab tycoon of your local beach town, this could still make a fun family vehicle. It’d be perfect for more than just Sunday rides with the kids. You could even use it for carpool duty during the week to drop those rug rats off at school or make a little cargo net for the front to turn the bench into a big trunk for grocery shopping.
When you own your own electric trike, the world is your oyster!
Now I just have to decide if I’m really going to get one of these. I don’t need it, but then again I didn’t need an electric boat or mini e-truck either, and I don’t regret those!
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A dozen Tesla vehicles burned at a store in Toulouse, France. Arson is suspected amid global protests and vandalism attacks against Tesla and Elon Musk.
Last night, a dozen Tesla vehicles burned down at Tesla’s retail and service location in Plaisance-du-Touch near Toulouse, France.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at around 4 a.m. and contained the fire to the vehicles. Eight of them were completely destroyed, and four were greatly damaged. The damages are estimated at over 700,000 euros.
According to the local news (translated from French), the police suspected arson as a hole was found in a fence, and threats had been made over the last few weeks. The Tesla location remained closed all day.
Tesla is currently being protested by anti-fascist groups around the world, especially in the US, where many are targeting Tesla to protest against Elon Musk’s involvement in the US government.
In France, there were a few protests planned, but some extremist groups are calling for widespread arson against Tesla stores:
I won’t share the link to the article since it gives step-by-step instructions on how to burn down Tesla stores without getting caught, but the manifesto explains that they are going after Tesla as a “symbol of capitalism,” although they also list a dozen other reasons including the fact that they think it’s “doable and cheap.”
Electrek’s Take
This is getting nuts. It’s not only dangerous, but it’s also not super effective in achieving the goal they claim to want to achieve.
Have they never heard of insurance? Tesla is having issues selling cars right now. You are burning unsold inventory that they can then claim to their insurance.
Sure, it disrupts their operations for a short period of time, but it’s not worth it.
Their manifesto does say to avoid violence and not to target vehicles owned by individuals – though it doesn’t sound like a strict rule for them, but I think these people are likely going to end up in jail for having achieved nothing.
The protests and boycotts are going strong. You don’t need to burn cars to make yourself heard.
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Environment
Ford F-150 Lightning sales have been falling for months: What’s going on with the EV pickup?
Is Ford’s electric pickup in trouble? Sales have been down for months, and February showed no relief. What’s going on with the Ford F-150 Lightning?
Ford F-150 Lightning sales drop again in February 2025
Ford’s US sales dropped by 9% last month. Although electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, both notched double-digit growth, sales of Ford’s gas-powered (ICE) models, which accounted for over 85% of deliveries, fell nearly 13%.
Hybrids saw higher demand with sales up 27.5% to 15,357, while EV sales increased 15% to 7,326. The Mustang Mach-E was a bright spot with 3,312 models sold in February, up 13% from the prior year.
With 6,841 Mach-Es sold through the first three months of 2025, Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains a top-selling EV in the US.
Ford’s electric pickup didn’t fare as well. F-150 Lightning Sales were down nearly 15% last month with only 2,199 units sold. Through March, Ford has sold 15% fewer Lightning models than it did at this time last year.
Sales of the electric pickup have been slipping for months now. In the final three months of 2024, F-150 Lightning sales were down 10%.
The Lightning, alongside Rivian’s R1T, are no longer the only electric pickups on the market. Ford is facing new competition with the Tesla Cybertruck, Chevy Silverado EV, and GMC Sierra EV, arriving.
According to Cox Automotive, the Tesla Cybertruck slipped past the Lightning to become the fifth best-selling EV in the US last year with nearly 39,000 units sold. Ford’s Lightning was sixth with just over 33,500 models sold.
Ford extended its “Power Promise” promo earlier this year to boost demand, giving EV buyers a Level 2 home charger and other benefits, but Lightning sales are still down.
The American automaker cut Lightning production at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center last year, citing slower-than-expected demand. A new report from Automotive News claims Ford is now ending a pilot program to stock and distribute EVs through regional hubs after it failed to catch on. It was designed to speed up deliveries.
Although Ford plans to launch a smaller midsize electric pickup, it won’t arrive until at least two more years. With new competition, like the Ram 1500 REV and Volkswagen Scout pickup, hitting the market over the next few years, Ford may find it even harder to attract buyers.
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Costco’s Auto Program recently introduced some new member-only incentives, and the 2025 Volvo EX90 BEV is now on its list.
Volvo is offering Costco Executive Members $2,000 off the 2025 EX90. Costco Gold Star and Business members are eligible for $1,500 off. The incentives are available on all versions of the Volvo EX90 for members who purchase or lease from February 24 to April 30, 2025. It’s the only non-GM EV that’s that’s eligible for an incentive through the EV program.
The offer is compatible with A-Plan pricing for employees, as well as Affinity Pricing for teachers and first responders. Costco members will have had to have been members as of February 23 and be the primary members on the Costco account to qualify.
However, CarsDirect gave the heads up on how buyers can get up to $10,000 off the EX90’s MSRP. As we stated, if you’re a Costco Executive Member, that’s $2,000 off. Then, add the $7,500 EV Lease Allowance and a $500 loyalty discount on leases if you currently own or lease a Volvo or have owned or leased a Volvo within the past six months.
With the destination fee included, the base EX90 MSRP starts at $81,290, so that brings it down to $71,290, a more than 12% discount, a pretty good deal.
The 2025 AWD Volvo EX90, which can seat seven passengers comfortably, has a range of up to 310 miles and is NACS-compatible. It has a 510 hp engine, 110 kWh battery capacity, and can go from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
Read more: Review: Volvo EX90 is a smooth AWD 7-seat luxury kid-hauler
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