Awesome Alibaba: Low-cost backyard construction equipment, batteries included
Regularly readers of my Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column will know that I usually dig around Chinese shopping sites to find the wackiest and coolest little EVs in the world. That’s resulted in finding everything from electric submarines to mini electric Jeeps. But this time I’d say that today’s vehicles are less weird and more awesome, especially if you’ve been looking for your own electrically-powered construction equipment for your property or work site. These little electric mini loaders could be the perfect size for hobby farms and small ranches. And they’re pretty darn affordable, too!
I’ve looked into electric loaders before, and even covered another one over a year ago. But electric mini loaders from China have come a long way, as you can see by the latest models.
I stumbled upon this company Aolite, which manufacturers a pile of construction equipment from pint-sized to massive. They’ve expanded into electrically-powered construction equipment lately and two of their loaders have caught my eye.
Their first model, which seems to be produced by a number of sources, is the Aolite 604. It’s a 1,120 kg (2,470 lb) mini loader that can lift up to 400 kg (880 lb) in its front bucket. It zips around at between 10-18 km/h (6-11 mph) depending on what gear you keep it in, and gets powered by a pair of 1800W motors for the four-wheel-drive system. A third 3,000W motor runs the hydraulic system, which includes a third circuit (in addition to the lifting and dumping circuit) to create a quick hitch system or power hydraulic accessories like gripper buckets, digger attachments, etc.
The lead acid batteries aren’t fancy, but they help add to the ballast weight and give the electric loader a run time of 6-7 hours. And of course the lack of a diesel engine has a long list of advantages. You don’t spend hours on end breathing in a toxic cloud of carcinogens, you don’t have to wear ear protection to avoid slowly going deaf, the entire vehicle isn’t vibrating the entire time, and it can even be used indoors for interior demolitions and reconstruction!
For those that want something even bigger, the Aolite 606 loader is nearly twice the size, weighing in at 2,050 kg (4,520 lb). It has a more powerful lifting capacity of up to 700 kg (1,540 lb) from a larger bucket. The two drive motors are each 3,500W, with a larger 5,000W motor powering the hydraulic system.
And check out how affordable these little loaders are. The smaller electric mini loader model is priced at US $4,900 for a single unit, though the price drops to US $4,500 if you buy ten of them.
The 606 loader is a bit pricer, coming in at US $8,300 for a single unit. Just like the 604 model, the price drops as you buy more. Pick up eight of these bad boys and they’re a modest US $7,500 a piece. For comparison, a similarly spec’d diesel-powered Bobcat L23 articulated loader is priced at around US $40,000.
Both of these loaders come with a ton of optional accessories (that each cost several hundred dollars) and that can be swapped in place of the traditional loader bucket. Unfortunately they are’t compatible with each other due to the 606’s larger size.
They’ve got grass forks, pallet forks, grapple buckets, snow sweepers/plows/blowers, concrete mixing buckets, grain buckets, augers, hammers, 4-in-1 buckets, barrel clamps, and more!
The company even has an articulating electric fork lift built on a similar chassis, though I’m not sure I can find as many uses for a fork lift.
Since the loaders can come with a pallet fork for an extra couple hundred bucks, you can easily turn them into small fork lifts, even if they don’t have the same lifting height as the real fork lift offered by Aolite.
Now here’s the thing: as my regular readings will again already know, most of the time I just enjoy finding fun EVs on Alibaba by window shopping, but I’ve been known to actually buy the ones that really strike my fancy. That how I would up with an electric mini truck and a 5-seater electric boat, among other odd purchases.
And now I’m seriously considering getting an electric mini loader. For context: my parents own a small ranch with 10 acres of land, which is where my mini-truck lives out its days as a work truck (which is good since it’s not technically street-legal). An electric loader that does overtime as a small tractor would be useful to have on the property, and these might fit the bill.
So I’ve inquired about what goes into buying one of these, which led me down a road to realize I’m probably getting in over my head — but that’s fine, I’ll just buy a snorkel too.
The company’s sales rep “Alison” has been helping me, and she’s a peach. I didn’t even tell her I’m internet famous for buying questionable stuff on Alibaba or that I write this column, but she’s been helping me figure out all the options for models, accessories, packing and shipping to the US.
You see, you can’t just buy one of these since most freight companies won’t let you do LCL (less than container load) shipping, which is where the cargo is just tossed in a shared container and you only pay for the space you take up. That’s how I shipped my boat from China, but that only weighed 400-something-pounds.
So basically, I’d need to import an entire container of these electric mini loaders if I wanted one. A full 40ft container would fit 10 of the smaller loaders or 8 of the bigger loaders. That’s a bit much for me, but it turns out you can get a half-sized 20ft container that will fit four of either model.
The only problem is I don’t need four. I need one. Or maybe two, if I want one of the big ones and one of the little ones. I don’t know what I’d do with four electric mini loaders. Maybe buy a 6-ft beach ball and play 2-on-2 loader soccer with them?
That’s a bridge I’m still trying to figure out how to cross. If anyone lives within trucking range of South Florida and wants to buy a mini loader, talk to me.
I’m not sure how far I plan to go down this rabbit hole, but the more I look at these things, and the more I watch videos like the one below, the more I start to wonder how I’ve made it this far in life without my own backyard electric mini loader. There’s a decent chance you’ll see me in another month or so with a follow up article: Oops, I bought a container load of Chinese construction equipment.
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Tesla has quietly removed the Cybertruck’s range extender from the options in its online configurator.
Does Tesla still plan to bring the product to market?
When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, there were two main disappointments: the price and the range.
The tri-motor version, which was the most popular in reservation tallies, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.
Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.
As for the dual-motor Cybertruck, it was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. The reality is that it starts at $80,000, and it has 325 miles of range.
However, Tesla had devised a solution to bring the range closer to what it originally announced: a separate battery pack that sits in the truck’s bed. Tesla called it a “range extender.” It costs $16,000 and takes up a third of the Cybertruck’s bed.
Even though the Cybertruck has been in production for a year and a half at this point, the range extender has yet to launch.
Initially, Tesla said that it would come “early 2025”, but we reported that it was pushed to “mid-2025” late last year.
At the time, Tesla also reduced the range that the removable battery pack adds to the Cybertruck to “445+ miles” rather than “470+ miles” for the dual motor – a ~25-mile reduction in range.
Now, Tesla has removed the option from its online Cybertruck configurator. It used to take reservations for the range extender with a “$2,000 non-refundable deposit”, as seen on the image above, but now it’s not in the configurator at all at the time of writing.
It’s unclear if Tesla is not planning to launch the product anymore or if it is just pausing reservations.
In its specs page, Tesla still lists the achievable range of both versions of the Cybertruck with and without the range extender battery:
Electrek’s Take
I’m curious. Is it dead, or does Tesla just want to stop taking reservations for it?
At first, I was curious about the product even though I didn’t think it would make up for Tesla’s significant miss on Cybertruck specs.
However, after it was confirmed that it takes up 30% of your bed and that it needs to be installed and removed by Tesla at a service center, I think it’s pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.
It’s going to be a product limited to only a few people at best. And now that’s if it makes it to market.
With the option being removed from the configurator, there’s no production timeline available. Again, the last one was “mid-2025”, which is soon.
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Environment
EcoFlow members can save up to 65% on power stations while supporting disaster relief during the 2025 Member’s Festival
Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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Tesla is losing another top talent: its long-time head of software, David Lau, has reportedly told co-workers that he is exiting the automaker.
Tesla changed how the entire auto industry looks at software.
Before Tesla, it was an afterthought; user interfaces were rudimentary, and you had to go to a dealership to get a software update on your systems.
When Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, it all changed. Your car would get better through software updates like your phone, the large center display was responsive with a UI that actually made sense and was closer to an iPad experience than a car.
Tesla also integrated its software into its retail experience, service, and manufacturing.
David Lau deserves a lot of the credit for that.
He joined Tesla in 2012 as a senior manager of firmware engineering and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2014, he was promoted to director of firmware engineering and system integration, and in 2017, he became Vice President of software.
Lau listed the responsibilities of his team on his LinkedIn:
- Vehicle Software:
- Firmware for the powertrain, traction/stability control, HV electronics, battery management, and body control systems
- UI software and underlying Embedded Linux platforms
- Navigation and routing
- iOS and Android Mobile apps
- Distributed Systems:
- Server-side software and infrastructure that provides telemetry, diagnostics, over-the-air updates, and configuration/lifecycle management
- Data engineering and analytics platforms that power technical and business insights for an increasingly diverse set of customers across the company
- Diagnostic tools and fleet management, Manufacturing and Automation:
- Automation controls (PLC, robot)
- Server-side manufacturing execution systems that power all of Tesla’s production operations
- Product Security and Red Team for software, services, and systems across Tesla
Bloomberg reported today that Lau told his team he is leaving Tesla. The report didn’t include reasons for his stepping down.
Electrek’s Take
Twelve years at any company is a great run. At Tesla, it’s heroic. Congrats, David, on a great run. You undoubtedly had a significant impact on Tesla and software advancements in the broader auto industry.
He is another significant loss for Tesla, which has been losing a lot of top talent following a big wave of layoffs around this time last year.
I wonder who will take over. Michael Rizkalla, senior director of software engineering and vehicle firmware, is one of the most senior software engineers after Lau. He has been at Tesla for 7 years, and Tesla likes to promote within rather than hire outsiders.
There are also a lot of senior software execs working on AI at Tesla. Musk has been favoring them lately and he could fold Lau’s responsibilities under them.
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