Weird Alibaba: You can literally buy a 10 ft. long rideable electric dinosaur
This one is a bit out there, even for me. But stick with me here, because there’s just something about a giant ride-on electric dinosaur powered by a mystery electric motor that feels perfectly fitting for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is perhaps one of the least useful yet most fun-looking Chinese EVs I’ve featured yet in this exploratory column.
I can think of absolutely zero utility for this ride-on dinosaur, other than separating parents from their money at amusement parks. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s a fine use indeed.
And if there was ever a truly awesome parental money separator, this would be it. I’m not even a kid and I want to beg someone to pay for me to ride this thing.
There’s a coin collector or card swipe option (I’m really curious where they put that swipe – do you lift the tail?), and then it’s off to the dinosaur races!
Of course no one will be moving very fast on their triceratops or brontosaurus. The speed is rated at 50 meters per minute, which Google kindly informs me is around 3 km/h or 1.8 mph.
Controls are mounted on the dinosaur itself, but there is also a remote control that an operator can use to take over driving responsibility. I assume the kid offers up one of those pilot-style “You have the dinosaur,” “I have the dinosaur” hand-off moments like in the movies.
And if you’re wondering just how complicated the controls could be, you might be surprised.
There’s more than just forward and reverse here. In addition to standard dinosaur walking, there are also functions to open and close the mouth, blink the eyes, raise and lower the head, swing the tail, and engage the “light effects.” I don’t remember any of the animals in Jurassic Park coming with their own Laser Floyd show, but perhaps I need to rewatch the originals.
Power comes from a 700W motor (nearly one whole horsepower!) and is provided by a pair of rechargeable batteries. There’s no word on what those batteries are, but I’m guessing it’s more than a couple AA Duracells. The vendor says a single charge is good for six hours, which seems like a surprisingly long time. You’d be lucky to get half of that from an electric bicycle under continuous use.
But then again a triceratops is significantly larger than an e-bike, and I assume that means more room for batteries, so perhaps I should have seen that coming.
One of my favorite features of the walking electric dinosaur (there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say) is the 150 kg weight limit, meaning riders up to 330 lbs. can go for a spin. This ain’t no kids toy, this is fun for the whole family!
And I haven’t even gotten to the coolest part yet – the way it walks! Based on the pictures, I assumed it was just a rigid model with little hoverboard wheels mounted in the bottom of the feet. The wheel part is probably correct, but you can see from the video below that the legs actually walk. There’s another motor that seems to move them back and forth. I don’t think it actually provides any walking power (it seems the two non-walking feet still roll forwards), but it sure gives the illusion that it is walking instead of rolling.
So what does something like this cost? From the looks of the sales page, it will set you back $3,500.
I’m not even sure if that’s a good deal or not. What’s the going rate on a walking electric dinosaur? Is there a Kelly Bluebook value I can refer to?
Since I can’t really tell if I’m getting ripped off or not, I think I’ll sit this one out. I’ve bought a bunch of weird EVs in the last few months, so I think my wife deserves a break from my stupidity.
But hey, if your partner yells at you for buying the kids (or yourself) a walking electric dinosaur, don’t come complaining to me!
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Tesla Model Y vehicles upfitted into police patrol cars by Unplugged Performance are electrifying Anaheim Police’s patrol fleet.
Police departments around the country are rapidly turning to electric vehicles to replace their patrol cars.
There are now several options that fit police’s needs in terms of size, range, and acceleration for patrol vehicles, and the fuel savings are making it a no-brainer.
Tesla’s Model Y is already the most popular EV for consumers and it might be becoming the most popular for police departments too.
We reported on the South Pasadena Police Department buying 10 Model Ys for their own fleet.
The Somerset PD was one of the first police departments to buy a Model Y to use as a police patrol, and they believe that a single Model Y could save them $80,000 over 10 years due to gas savings and lower maintenance costs.
Now, we learn that the Anaheim Police Department is also going electric with Model Y. The department announced that it bought 6 Tesla Model Ys and had them upfitted for patrol by Unplugged Performance:
National supply chain issues, aging patrol vehicles, and delivery delays of newly purchased patrol cars have caused a significant vehicle shortage in the Anaheim Police Department’s fleet. The department sought out a creative way to quickly acquire patrol cars. Tesla presented a unique opportunity to procure six (6) Model Y’s from available inventory and upfit them for patrol duty through their associated vendor, UP.FIT, a division of Unplugged Performance.
The police department said that the Model Y’s specs fit their needs:
The Tesla Model Y was selected for its advanced features, including rapid acceleration, ample storage capacity, affordability, and low maintenance requirements, all of which are integral to police operations. With state-of-the-art technology and safety features, in addition to an expansive supercharging network throughout the city, these vehicles will enable officers to respond swiftly to incidents and effectively engage with the community.
The Anaheim Police Department says that it will use these vehicles during the pilot program period to evaluate “the performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of the Model Y in various operational settings” and use the data to determine how they will go electric.
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Will all-solid-state batteries be a “game-changer for EVs?” Nissan believes so. The automaker is accelerating all-solid-state EV battery development, hoping to make its electric models more competitive. Nissan kicked off construction on its all-solid-state EV battery pilot line this week with plans to introduce them in a wide range of models, including pickups.
Nissan preps for all-solid-state EV battery development
This week, Nissan showed off its all-solid-state battery pilot line at its Yokohama Plant. Under its Ambition 2030 strategy, Nissan plans to launch solid-state battery-powered EVs by early 2029.
By 2030, Nissan plans to introduce 19 new EVs with electrified vehicles (including hybrids) accounting for 55% of global sales.
A big part of Nissan’s strategy includes advanced battery tech. Nissan unveiled plans to launch EVs with all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) made in-house by fiscal year 2028. Nissan says it can introduce better-performing EVs across more segments with ASSBs.
Nissan believes the new tech will be a “game-changer for EVs,” with the potential to offer twice the energy density of traditional lithium-ion batteries at a lower cost.
Nissan also believes solid-state batteries can reduce charging times by one-third. The company is involved in “wide-ranging research and development,” including molecular-level material research.
Using this info, Nissan is stepping up development with plans to introduce the new tech at mass scale.
Since launching the LEAF in 2010, Nissan’s Yokohama Plant has been producing electric motors. However, the plant’s biggest transformation is underway.
In October, Nissan unveiled the Hyper Force EV concept. Powered by all-solid-state batteries, Nissan claims the electric supercar can crank out up to 1,341 hp (1,000 kW).
With a shrunken Tesla Cybertruck-like feel, the exterior was designed with its NISMO racing team for maximum aerodynamics.
Nissan doesn’t refer to it as an electric GT-R, but you can see the blurred-out logo up front. The automaker hinted its electric supercar could launch by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
Nissan isn’t the only one planning to introduce solid-state batteries in its next-gen EVs. Japanese rival Toyota is also planning to launch advanced batteries.
However, Toyota has promised to launch solid-state battery-powered EVs several times now. Its first was due in 2021, then 2022, and mass production isn’t expected until after 2030.
Toyota claims its next-gen batteries will offer a 10-minute fast charge and significantly more range. Two versions are expected: a 621-mile (1,000-km) WLTP range and a further evolution 750-mile (1,200-km) model.
This could allow Nissan to get ahead. Meanwhile, several other companies, such as Volkswagen, Hyundai, and BMW, are advancing their plans.
Chinese EV makers are already rolling out advanced battery tech. For example, pre-orders for NIO’s new ET7, powered by a 150 kWh semi-solid state battery, opened today.
NIO is holding an endurance challenge to see if the luxury electric sedan can break CEO William Li’s 650-mile (1,044-km) range record.
Nissan, and other legacy automakers will need to get moving to prevent falling further behind.
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