This guy bought a wild standing electric ATV from China – here’s what showed up
For those who have had the pleasure of discovering my weekly column on weird electric vehicles from China (or for those with a less robust sense of humor who have had the displeasure of finding it), you’ll know I love trawling through Alibaba’s long list of wacky electric vehicles. I often find some real nuggets of treasure, and sometimes I even go as far as buying and importing them to the US.
Make no mistake: It’s a terrible idea that is fraught with problems. That’s why I always advise against my readers following my lead. But sometimes, just sometimes, some of you foolhardy folks will climb up and over all of my disclaimers to try your own hands at getting the weirdest wheeled vehicles that China can muster.
That’s the case with one Kentucky man who was inspired by my own ill-advised shenanigans and decided to try his hand at a bad idea that ultimately worked out quite well.
I’ll call him Hector, because that’s his name, and he said I could use it. Hector liked the standing electric ATV that I covered in an article last year and fancied the idea of one day having his own. But instead of leaving it at that, he was bitten by the same Alibaba bug as me and sought out a way to make it happen.
And I don’t blame him. This thing looks pretty awesome on paper. It’s an all-wheel-drive design with 6,000 watts of power, full-suspension, and the ability to add a pile of accessories. The top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) is likely fast enough for most riders, as I’m not sure many people want to involuntarily dismount going any fast than that, in the unlikely event that something goes wrong on a ride.
The design is so cool because it’s not exactly original. In fact, it’s pretty much a rip-off of the Israeli-designed off-road vehicle known as the DSRaider. It’s not quite as rugged, but it’s much cheaper.
Priced at $4,000, the Chinese version is significantly more affordable than the original, which is often used by military and police units in various parts of the world.
Hector messaged the vendor, Zhejiang LVDU Industry & Trade corporation, and resisted their attempts to receive payment for the ATV by wire transfer, which can be problematic if there’s ever an issue with the vehicle or its delivery.
“I contacted them to get the vehicle specs, and they suggested a wire transfer payment that I declined,” explained Hector. “They returned and offered to do it through Alibaba, and I accepted.”
Alibaba’s internal payment platform is safer than a wire transfer since Alibaba offers some marginal buyer protections, though many vendors won’t use it because it delays their ability to receive the funds.
From there, Hector began choosing his desired accessories. “I added some accessories for the vehicle, such as bigger tires, a basket, a beacon light post, and a vertical rack for cargo,” he continued.
The accessories added up to US $322, and the factory threw in a seat for free.
The seller offered Hector a shipping option under terms known as DDP, or Delivered Duty Paid. This is one of many forms of international freight agreements, and it means that the seller is responsible for everything required to get the product to the customer’s door. That means importing, customs clearance, customs fees, trucking to final destination, etc. The charge for DDP was US $1,295. After the added taxes (yes, Alibaba is required by law to collect US sales tax on purchases from Americans), the total that Hector paid came out to US $6,094.29. In theory, the DDP terms mean that this should be the final payment, and everything else should be handled by the shipper.
Hector submitted the payment through Alibaba’s payment platform, which provides some level of buyer protection through escrow (though I’ve still been screwed in the past anyway). That payment started the production of Hector’s new electric ATV, and the factory came back to him with the proof-of-life pictures below.
So far, so good.
The next step was local shipping. The electric ATV had to be packaged up for its journey and sent to a freight forwarder.
The factory took care of these steps, updating Hector along the way.
Hector then received the images below, showing how the ATV was packaged and loaded into a truck to be taken to a freight forwarder for containerization.
The factory created a steel shipping cage for the vehicle and then covered it in a cardboard exterior. This is fairly common, though I try to ask for a wooden crate to ensure better protection, especially when I know my product will be placed in a container with many other customers’ one-off shipments.
It took around six weeks for the ship to make its way from China to California, where it off-loaded the container and Hector’s shipment was stripped and prepared for land transport.
The factory’s freight forwarder handled the customs clearance process and booked the ATV with a trucking service to send it inland on the long journey to Kentucky.
Another week and a half later, a lift-gate truck rolled up to Hector’s driveway and off-loaded the package.
There it was, in all its standing electric ATV glory.
Somehow it had travelled from the factory in China to a Kentucky driveway for a mere $1,295. As someone who has imported more than his fair share of weird vehicles from China, believe me when I tell you how extraordinarily rare that is.
Just trucking alone could easily cost that much for a trip from California to Kentucky. Just the customs charges on this type of vehicle should have cost that much, especially considering this should have been subject to 25% tariffs for Chinese goods imported to the US (and it isn’t on the exclusion list).
Either the factory’s freight forwarder did some shady magic to slip this ATV through for so cheap, or they didn’t realize how much transit charges, arrival charges, customs charges, broker fees and cross-country trucking would cost in the end.
But whatever the reason, Hector managed to land this thing for a total of just under US $6,100.
Unpacking the cage showed very minimal damage to the vehicle from shipping. “The shipping package received some damage on the metal housing, but only the skin of the brake line was damaged,” Hector explained to me. “There was also an issue with the turn signal lights. I communicated with the seller, and they have shipped the rear and front turn lights with the wire assembly and the brake line. They also sent me videos on how to fix it.”
So far, Hector seems quite satisfied with the electric standing ATV. “The vehicle is well made, and I’m happy with my transaction.”
And by the look of his dog, the pup doesn’t seem to mind, either.
A word of caution on Alibaba purchases
I enjoy sharing these stories because it’s fun to see what kinds of things people can find and bring home. Alibaba is full of weird electric vehicles, largely because China leads the world in electric vehicle design and manufacturing. I’ve bought electric mini-trucks, e-ATVs, e-boats, electric construction equipment, e-bikes, e-motorcycles, and more. And with enough experience (and enough mistakes made in the past), it usually goes pretty well for me now.
But I always advise against anyone actually following my lead. Hector was surprisingly successful here, but it doesn’t always go this well. I’ve heard from multiple people who tried to buy electric mini-trucks similar to mine, only to have the shipment stopped by Customs and Border Patrol for one reason or another and not allowed into the country.
I’ve seen batteries shoot sparks and let out smoke the first time I turn the product on.
I’ve had vendors simply ghost me, nowhere to be found anymore.
I’ve had Alibaba auto-approve delivery of my products while they’re still in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, releasing my funds in escrow to the vendor.
It’s a dangerous game fraught with risk and pitfalls. So while it can be fun to live vicariously through people like Hector and myself, I don’t recommend trying this at home. At least not unless you’re willing to lay down $6,000 with the understanding that you might never see it again.
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Environment
Tesla (TSLA) brand damage is destroying used car value: ‘People don’t want them anymore’
Tesla’s brand damage is eroding the value of used Tesla vehicles at a rapid rate, as owners rush to sell theirs.
It is breaking the used Tesla market as prices are plunging just as the broader used car market is recovering.
After a few tough years for the used car market following the pandemic, it is finally starting to recover over the last month.
Economic uncertainty and a fear of higher inflation due to Trump’s tariffs are prompting some buyers to shift from the new car market to the used car market.
From March 2024 to March 2025, average used car prices decreased by 2.68% in the US, but the trend has finally reversed.
According to Car Guru‘s used car index, used car prices have risen an impressive 2.17% in the last 30 days alone.
However, there’s an exception: Tesla.
The price of used Tesla vehicles has been falling, like the rest of the used car market, since the pandemic; however, it is not benefiting from the reversal in the current macroeconomic situation.
While average used car prices rose more than 2% in the last 30 days, Tesla’s used car prices decreased by 1.34% in the US.
That’s due to oversupply, as many Tesla owners are selling their vehicles to distance themselves from the Tesla brand, which is associated with CEO Elon Musk and his increasingly divisive political views.
The demand to sell used Tesla vehicles is so high that many used car dealers, who had been fighting to acquire inventory just a year prior, are starting to be reticent about buying Tesla vehicles as the value decreases so rapidly.
In Quebec, Le Journal de Montréal spoke with local used car dealers and attended a car auction where many Tesla vehicles were up for sale, with some selling for half the price they were selling for just over a year ago.
Éric Piuze, owner of a used car dealership on Montreal’s South Shore, said (translated from French):
“People don’t want them anymore. The Elon Musk effect is very real in Quebec.”
The used car dealers at the auction noted that they are not confident they can sell the used Tesla quickly enough to avoid further value decreases.
Furthermore, they note that potential buyers are lowballing on Tesla vehicles because they are aware that inventory is high, creating a buyer’s market.
Dealers are also seeing higher defaults on Tesla car payments, as buyers who took on debt to purchase them just a few years ago struggle to make payments.
Piuze added (translated from French):
People paid a lot of money for Teslas. During the pandemic, we saw many people remortgaging their homes to buy a Tesla. Those days are over.
At its peak, the average used Tesla price was over $60,000 in 2022. Now, the same vehicles are worth a fraction, but their car payments are still high.
Electrek’s Take
Even with the used car market finally getting a breather from crashing prices, Tesla vehicles are not benefiting at all. This highlights a significant issue in the used Tesla market. It’s broken.
The market can’t absorb the surge in people selling their Tesla vehicles.
I wouldn’t want to be a company holding a fleet of Tesla vehicles right now. The value erosion is impressive.
I thought that maybe the Cybertruck was dragging the entire Tesla market down, with a 6.64% decrease in used value over the last 30 days. However, the Model Y alone saw a 1.67% decrease during the same period.
The good news is that the vast majority of people selling their used Tesla vehicles are purchasing other electric vehicles, thereby boosting the EV market. It’s also giving people the chance to get into Tesla vehicles for cheaper, although they should expect the value of those vehicles to decrease rapidly.
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The new flagship Q-Range electric drive cone plant from the quarry experts at Sandvik is engineered to be safe, quiet, and tough enough to operate in the most hostile environments the mining and quarrying industries can put it in.
Cone crushers enhance quarrying efficiency by enabling operators to crush rock, stone, and ore down to a precise size. In ELI5 terms, big rocks go into the top of the plant. Inside, a cone-shaped mantle moves inside a larger cone in an eccentric circle that grinds up the stone and ore between the mantle and the cone’s sides, breaking them up into smaller pieces. Once the pieces are ground to a given size determined by the position of the mantle within the larger cone, they fall out into a cone-shaped pile (but that’s just a coincidence).
Basic mechanisms of cone crusher
The cone crusher is part of a broader “train” of machines on a quarry that work together to turn a massive rock face into a fine sand and/or anything in between. With the launch of the QH443E electric cone plant, Sandvik now offers mine operators a fully electric driven train – one that includes the UJ443E fully electric jaw crusher launched in 2023, the QE342e hybrid scalper, and the QA452e hybrid triple-deck Doublescreen launched in 2022 (if you want to know more about how those work, let us know in the comments).
The new QH443E features a new heavy-duty feeder design equipped with electrically driven components, which can be powered by batteries, or a connection to grid power. An on-board diesel generator capable of running on 100% HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), providing a number of more sustainable fuel choices and effectively reducing the mine’s operating costs.
Sandvik claims the electric delivers a 25% fuel savings on generator (and, obviously, 100% on grid or battery power), as well as a 78% reduction in oil usage compared to previous generations.
The new crusher bridges the gap between tracked mobile, wheeled portable, and stationary cone plants by combining electric drives and track mobility on a single platform. The QH443E uses Optik intuitive automation system and My Fleet remote monitoring software hooked to a suite of sensors that provide 24/7 telematics, geo-fencing, and remote-operator support that’s designed to ensure continuous crushing and optimal performance.
Those sensors also help drive innovations in safety, as well. “Safety is paramount in the design of the QH443E,” said Sandvik, in a statement. “The unit includes remote camera viewing of the crushing chamber, 270 degree access around the crusher for easy maintenance and mandatory audible and visual warnings for safe operation. Our extensive global distributor and sales support network ensures that you receive the best support for your operations.”
The QH443E is available in the EU now through Sandvik Mobile’s global dealer network, and will be available everywhere by Q4 of 2025.
Electrek’s Take
While there are a lot of people outside the drilling and mining space who may scoff at environmental concerns, the quest for improved efficiency and cost reduction among commercial fleet managers knows no political ideology. Simply put: If it’s better or cheaper, they’ll buy it. If it’s better and cheaper, they’ll buy two — and battery power is proving to be consistently better, in a broader scope of use cases, than diesel.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: Sandvik; via Global Highways, Pit & Quarry.
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The current EV era is ripe with revered classic car designs and nameplates that are being reborn as battery-powered rides – and the success of cars the Renault 5 proves it can be a winning formula. Today, I’m suggesting another classic that deserves a modern electric update: the OG Ford Taurus.
It might seem old and dated now, but when the original Ford Taurus made its debut in 1985, it was so fresh, so different, so futuristic that it was included, almost unchanged, in Robocop’s sci-fi vision of a dystopian Detroit. Really.
I’d buy that for a dollar
The aerodynamic design of the Ford Taurus wasn’t just futuristic, it was successful – and, from 1992 through 1996, the OG Taurus was not just Ford’s best-selling car, but the best selling car in North America.
The sedan market is very different forty years on – so different, in fact, that Ford doesn’t actually sell any sedans in North America. With the exception of the 2-door ICE Mustang, the Blue Oval brand doesn’t even sell any cars, and operates almost entirely as a truck and SUV brand.
Now, imagine Ford decides to get back into the sedan game. It’s 2025 now, and the Tesla Model 3 has proven that there’s enough demand for at least one successful electric sedan in the US. And, crucially, it seems like most of those buyers won’t be trading their Tesla back in for another one.
If there was ever a time to do it, that time is now – and Ford is perfectly positioned to fast-track a new-age Taurus.
The VW connection
Yes, I know that’s a Volkswagen – but hear me out. Ford and VW have a strong, existing relationship when it comes to EVs, having co-developed the MEB electric skateboard platform that underpins both the high-riding Ford Capri (itself a modern take on a classic Ford) and the Volkswagen ID.7 shown, above.
The ID.7 is an interesting piece, because it was always Volkswagen’s original intention to bring the car to the US, but slowing sedan demand and a dealer body that would rather sell Scout-branded SUVs and pickups than near/entry-luxe sedans killed the car’s chances before before the first one made it over. Now, it’s not coming to the US at all.
That might have been a mistake, since the the midsized ID.7 sedan is currently the best-selling EV in Germany, with sales continuing to accelerate throughout Europe in the wake of Tesla’s catastrophic, politically-fueled decline.
So, VW dealers don’t want a perfectly capable, Ford-developed, aerodynamic midsized sedan to sell in the US? No problem. Ramp up the BlueOval SK battery plant, set off a hiring frenzy at BlueOval City, start building an oval-badged ID.7-based Ford Taurus in the US, and slap a Tesla conquest rebate on the thing to help overcome Tesla buyer’s increasingly negative equity.
It even looks good in 90s Ford Taurus green.
Original content from Electrek; featured image by ChatGPT.
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