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In yet another entry of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week that takes us into new territory, this week it’s time to grab your backpack and lunch money for your first day of school. Or at least your first day out and about on a new electric school bus. That’s right, this awesome electric school bus could be yours… if you want to bring it over from China.

Electric school buses aren’t unique; we’re starting to see more and more of them in North America. But normally you have to be a kid to ride in one, which just seems unfair to me.

Fortunately the friendly engineers behind the fun electric vehicles we often dredge up from the depths of Alibaba’s online shopping catalog have found a solution: selling electric school buses directly to commoners like you and me!

electric school bus

While this isn’t your typical stretched-out Blue Bird school bus, this stubbier model is no slouch, either. It can reach a top speed of between 111 to 130 km/h (69 to 81 mph)! If it’s fast enough to take a bunch of glue eaters on the highway to the local science museum field trip, it’s fast enough for pretty much anything we could want to do with it.

At this point you may be wondering just what I would do with my own electric school bus. Well, not pick up snot-nosed kids for school, that’s for sure! Instead, think of all the cool things this bus could be turned into. You could have your own party bus, or convert it into an awesome electric RV or camper van. At $50,000, it’s not exactly an impulse purchase. But then again, electric buses typically cost several times as much, so maybe it is a deal after all!

School buses actually offer a unique and cost-effective opportunity for transformation into fully functional campers. It takes solid construction to get parents to trust these vehicles with their precious little crumb crunchers. The rugged design, spacious interiors, and sturdy frames of school buses make them great for retrofitting to create comfortable and personalized mobile living spaces.

You can rip out the original seating previously used by all those little ankle biters and then creatively repurpose the generous square footage. The sky is the limit when it comes to designing custom layouts for sleeping quarters, kitchens, bathrooms, and lounging areas. And since this bus starts life as an electric vehicle, it’s even better for a green conversion with a roof full of solar panels and a hidden composting toilet in a cabinet.

With all of the electric school buses starting to enter operation with actual crib lizards en route to school, a couple decades from now there will surely be a cottage industry of repurposing used electric school buses. But if you don’t want to wait that long, and don’t mind a hood full of Mandarin characters, then perhaps ordering a Chinese electric school bus is for you!

electric school bus

Okay, let’s end on a serious note: Please don’t buy this thing. It’s fun to imagine getting a bargain basement electric bus, but this ordeal is surely rife with problems.

As I’ve learned from my own Chinese EV imports, you often don’t get exactly what you expect and it will always cost significantly more than you budgeted. So don’t imitate my fellow foolish readers and buy weird things from halfway around the world. Let’s just all enjoy the magic of Alibaba window shopping!

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Honda takes a page from Tesla playbook, launches new insurance business

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Honda takes a page from Tesla playbook, launches new insurance business

Say what you will about Elon Musk, but Tesla has changed the way that millions of people buy cars and, by extension, car insurance. Now, Honda is taking a page from Tesla’s successful playbook and launching its own in-house insurance business. Enter: Honda Insurance Solutions.

Honda Insurance Solutions is being launched as a fully licensed insurance agency serving the insurance needs of Acura and Honda customers, but it’s not stopping at competitive pricing and coverage options for Honda cars and motorcycles. Honda Insurance Solutions promises to go several steps beyond Tesla’s offering with coverage for trailers, RVs, homes, and even pets.

“Honda Insurance Solutions offers customers access to coverage through a brand they know and trust,” says Petar Vucurevic, President, American Honda Insurance Solutions, LLC and Senior Vice President, American Honda Finance Corporation. “Insurance is a key touchpoint in the vehicle ownership journey, and we aim to deliver a superior experience tailored to the unique needs of each customer, while promoting safer driving and increased peace of mind on the road.”

The company says the launch of its new insurance business is just part of Honda’s broader digital vehicle sales platform strategy, with future plans to integrate insurance offerings into new products.

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Electrek’s Take


Electric CUVE scooter; via Honda.

It’s important to note some of the key differences between Honda’s insurance offering and Tesla’s. Honda isn’t offering discounts, they’re not bundling insurance premiums into the vehicle financing, and they’re not building their insurance offerings into their dealerships’ checkout/F&I offices. Not yet, anyway.

What Honda is doing right now is deepening relationships with its existing customers and finding ways to make money on products it hasn’t sold them – whether that’s the Harley parked in the garage next to their Prologue or the garage itself.

It’s a smart play. And, once Honda figures out a way to cut franchise dealers out entirely and go to a direct sales model, it’ll look even smarter.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Honda.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Lion Electric school bus warranties voided, leaving districts stuck

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Lion Electric school bus warranties voided, leaving districts stuck

Nobody ever says “this is business” before doing something nice, and the recently reborn Lion Electric company is keeping that streak alive by doing the unthinkable to cut costs: they’re going to void the warranties on hundreds of electric school buses.

In a letter issued to exiting Lion Electric customers last week, Deloitte Restructuring announced that the warranties on all Lion vehicles purchased outside of the company’s home Province of Quebec are null and void – leaving dozens of school districts in the lurch with stranded assets that won’t get fixed, and can’t be sold to generate funds for replacements.

“We are working with alternate vendors at the expense of the school district to help keep our electric buses functional and on the road,” explains Dr. Richard Decman, Superintendent of Herscher CUSD No. 2 district in Herscher, Illinois. “Currently, six of our 25 (Lion) electric buses need some type of repair.”

Student Transportation News reports that Lion buses represent fully half of Herscher’s overall fleet of 50 buses, and that the district has received nearly $10 million for the purchase of 25 electric buses and the related charging stations from various state and utility incentive programs.

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Herscher isn’t the only district having problems with Lion buses. “All four Lion buses that we own are currently parked and not being used,” Coleen Souza, interim transportation director of Winthrop Public Schools, told Clean Trucking. “Two of them are in need of repairs which would cost us money which we are not willing to invest in because the buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs.”

More of the same in Maine, where Yarmouth School Department bought two Lion Electric buses in 2023 with the state covering the costs. According to Superintendent Andrew Dolloff, the buses almost never worked. “We’ve had some sporadic service over the past two years, but as soon as the tech leaves, the buses produce error codes again,” explained Dolloff. ” and “Then the technician quits or is released, and we wait a few months for the next response.”

Dolloff added that Yarmouth’s electric buses did not operate during the 2024-25 school year.

Lion’s new owners are seemingly uninterested in their customers’ plight – which might be easily dismissed if those new owners, Groupe MACH, weren’t also the old owners of Lion Electric.

That’s right, kids. Quebec-based real estate company Groupe MACH, which stepped in to “save” Lion Electric earlier this summer, along with Ontario-based Mirella & Lino Saputo Foundation, bought $90 million of equity in Lion Electric back in 2023. And, while the MACH people may not have been the ones who ultimately made the call about voiding the warranties (that decision was made by the Deloitte bankruptcy team), it is absolutely Group MACH who have, to date, not announced plans to continue to honor those warranties, either.

Make of that what you will.

Deloitte Lion letter


SOURCES: School Transportation News, Clean Trucking, Deloitte.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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The Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2 might be the most stylish eBike for under $1K [Video]

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The Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2 might be the most stylish eBike for under $1K [Video]

We recently had the opportunity to test out Retrospec’s Beaumont Rev 2 electric bike. This Class 2 electric city bike is as stylish as it is functional. Despite its streamlined design, the Beaumont Rev 2 is sneaky fast with quality components throughout. Be sure to check out our full video review below.

Our latest product review came through Retrospec – a veteran micromobility company dedicated to delivering affordable, high-quality, adventure-ready eBikes without compromising performance or style.

According to Retrospec, its products aim to “make nature second nature” by offering accessible, high-quality gear that encourages people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the outdoors to “make nature second nature” by providing accessible, high-quality gear that encourages people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the outside world.

Designed for adventure and built to last, Retrospec prides itself on delivering mobility products look great, perform flawlessly, and stand up to the test of time. A fine example of this company ethos is the Beaumont Rev 2 electric city bike.

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The Beaumont Rev 2 has already gone viral as Retrospec’s number one best seller. It initially caught our eye because it combines a stylish vintage look of classic bicycles with modern tech to cruise quickly and easily.

We recently had an opportunity to take one of these eBikes out and have plenty to say about it.

Upon first ride, you can’t ignore the classic style of this eBike, which looks and feels super light, similar to a conventional bicycle. However, with one press of the throttle, you get a feel for the function and versatility of the Beaumont Rev 2, which was designed by Retrospec specifically for city riding.

The bike’s powerful rear hub motor is supported by a Shimano MegaRange drivetrain that can easily be switched between seven different gears with your right hand.

The electric motor offers five different levels of electric pedal assist and an easy-to-use throttle on the left handlebar (pictured below). As a Class 2 eBike, the Beaumont Rev 2 can cruise to assisted speeds as high as 20 mph. The bike itself is powered by a UL2849-Certified Battery that offers riders a range of up to 38 miles on a single charge.

If you encounter dirt or debris on your journey, you’re protected by full-wrap front and rear fenders. Other features of the Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2 include front and rear lights, a rear cargo rack, and Tektro mechanical disc brakes (pictured above).

Combined with the padded saddle seat and swingback handlebars, the Beaumont Rev 2 is as comfortable and supportive of a ride as it is functional.

As an urban-style e-bike, the Beaumont Rev 2 isn’t necessarily built for off-road riding, but as you’ll see in the video below, there were a couple of times I cut through some grassy terrain to get on and off the bike path, and the bike fared just fine.

I truly enjoyed the smooth comfort of this unique, Euro-style step-through bike thanks to its wide, high-volume city tires. It also feels like it rides a lot faster than 20 mph due to its light frame and best-in-class powertrain components.

While the Beaumont Rev 2 comes with the above mentioned accessories, Retrospec sells many compatible add-on components, including helmets, baskets, trailers, bike bags & panniers, air pumps, and car racks. In addition to the Beaumont Rev 2, Retrospec offers a growing lineup of all-electric city bikes. We highly recommend checking those out to find the right bike for you.

Retrospec also offers a range of other eBike categories, including fat tire electric bikes, electric beach cruiser bikes, electric commuter bikes, electric trikes, and more. All Retrospec eBikes are UL2849 certified, feature sleek and stylish designs, and employ the most modern eBike technology to make riding an absolute blast. Check out the full lineup here.

If you’re interested in riding in style on Retrospec’s best-selling Beaumont Rev 2 eBike, you can purchase one here. This blend of classic and modern is available for just under $1,000, making it one of the most affordable options in its class.

To learn more about this stylish electric city bike, be sure to check out our full video review below.

Buy the Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2

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