This awesome Chinese golf cart looks more like a mini-electric jeep
My regular readers will know that I’ve got quite a thing for golf carts. They’ll also know that I write a regular weekly column finding the coolest (and sometimes weirdest) electric vehicles in the massive online shopping catalog that is Alibaba. So when those things collide, well that’s what we call serendipity, folks! And that’s exactly what’s happened this week with the discovery of this fun jeep-like electric golf cart!
It’s not the weirdest thing we’ve ever seen in the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column, but it certainly does look like something that would turn heads in your neighborhood.
That’s because unlike the Club Car golf carts at the local gated retirement village, this bad boy looks more like a mini-jeep, or even a Moke-style vehicle.
It may have a bit of a comical countenance, but don’t judge this buggy by its face. What’s under the hood is actually fairly impressive.
The mini-jeep thing is powered by a 5 kW continuous-rated electric motor, which is actually more powerful than my 3 kW electric mini-truck that I use to tow my 5-seater boat. That 5 kW motor even enables regenerative braking, making this golf cart extra efficient.
The battery is big enough though that efficiency might not be that important. Under the front seat sits an utterly massive 9.2 kWh battery. The company says it is enough for a claimed 100 km (62 miles) of range but I suspect that the range could be even higher. Considering the top speed is only 50 km/h (31 mph), you’re just not going to be draining that battery very quickly.
And to make things even sweeter, that battery is a LiFePO4 unit, meaning it will last more than twice as long as most other Li-ion batteries. It also has the added benefit of being essentially fireproof.
Speaking of imperviousness to the elements of nature, the powerful charger is listed as waterproof. On the face of things, that sounds a bit odd. It’s not like my first thought when the rain starts coming down is “Oh goodness, I better run out in this downpour with an extension cord in my hand to plug in my electric golf cart!”
But hey, I’m not going to complain about parts being overly ruggedized or waterproofed!
Plus the electric golf cart even comes with a “humanized” electric instrument panel and thee-point seat belts. I only know what one of those two things is, but I’ll take ’em both!
And all of this is available for just a measly $9,998! Which, now that I think about it, isn’t really that cheap since most golf carts in the US cost that much anyway.
But of course then you’ll have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars in import taxes, tariffs, arrival charges, broker fees, customs fees, and of course sea freight to literally bring it over on the slow boat from China. So you’ll want to factor that into the price.
If you’re worrying about shipping, perhaps thinking “How could they possibly send this to me halfway around the world without scratching the paint?”, then don’t worry. This isn’t their first rodeo and they’ve got things covered, literally. The vehicle comes with its very own sheet of foam wrapping so you can rest assured that your new pride of a buggy will arrive with its shiny paint job intact.
Some real talk about Alibaba
As usual, let me add a little disclaimer here: It’s fun to window shop for all of these fun and weird vehicles online. But I don’t recommend anyone actually try to order one. Sure, I’ve done it myself several times. And a few people have followed in my footsteps. But it’s a major risk and you never know if you’re going to get ripped off, either on purpose or on accident.
While most of my purchases have gone well, I finally had my own horror story occur on a recent major purchase (which just happened to be my most expensive Alibaba purchase to date). The long story short is that what showed up in the 2,300 lb shipping crate is most certainly not what I paid a large sum of money for, but that’s another story coming for another day.
Suffice it to say that we should all enjoy looking at these fun and weird things, but I’m not suggesting anyone actually open their wallet.
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Get ready, children. There’s a new electric bike licensing scheme that will soon be tested as one of several methods designed to help educate young riders on responsible road use and combat the growing concern of dangerous e-bike riding among youths around the world.
Known as the Student Bicycle License Scheme (SBLS), the proposal in New South Wales, Australia, will operate as a trial of a new licensing program for electric bike riders. The program targets school-aged e-bike riders in response to a growing number of accidents and misuse cases involving young riders.
The pilot program will require students to complete an online training course and pass a knowledge test before being issued a digital license to ride an e-bike or e-scooter. The scheme is expected to launch later this year in select schools, and if successful, could pave the way for a broader rollout.
Schools in Sutherland and Newcastle have reportedly expressed interest in joining the program, which leaves it up to individual schools to decide how they wish to use the new license program. For example, they can make it mandatory for students who want to ride to school or use secured bicycle parking facilities at the school.
The trial will initially focus on education rather than enforcement. Students who complete the course will receive a digital “ride-ready” credential, but there are currently no plans to introduce fines or penalties for unlicensed riders during the pilot phase. The government is partnering with road safety experts and schools to develop the training materials, which will cover speed limits, helmet use, sidewalk etiquette, and proper intersection behavior.
Australia’s National Transport Research Organisation is also reviewing current electric micromobility laws, with a report expected by the end of the year. The Queensland trial is seen as a possible blueprint for other regions facing similar safety concerns.
The announcement comes as electric bikes become increasingly popular among Australian youth, not just as toys, but as practical transportation to and from school, work, and social events. With that growth has come scrutiny – several high-profile crashes, some involving modified or overpowered e-bikes, have pushed lawmakers to act.
The same phenomenon is playing out around the world, including in Europe and the US, where young riders have increasingly taken to electric bikes as an alternative form of transportation, though one that has raised concerns around road safety among a young populace who has yet to learn the rules of the road.
Electrek’s Take
This is one of several school-level educational outreach programs we’ve seen pop up lately, and I think these are great ideas.
While the idea of requiring a license to ride an e-bike might sound extreme in some places, Australia’s approach here is education-first, and it could actually be a smart move. It also seems like the license is designed to be effective without being a burden. If you can grasp the knowledge, you can pass the test. And since many of the issues surrounding young e-bike riders arise from a general ignorance of road rules, this could be an effective solution. Teaching young riders the rules of the road before they hit the pavement might help reduce injuries and improve public perception of micromobility. Plus, the fact that it is a digital license means that there would presumably be fewer costs involved, which will hopefully allow the program to be free of charge and further reduce the burden of the licensing process.
Of course this won’t do anything for the “hooligan” riders who know the rules and simply don’t care, but that’s where enforcement has to step in as the heavy-handed partner to education.
I think this is a great example of balanced e-bike regulation. A measured mix of education and enforcement is key to ensuring e-bikes remain safe while taking advantage of their myriad benefits to the public. And hey, it sure makes a lot more sense than NYC trying to cut the speed of all electric bikes in half overnight.
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The State of California is moving to ban the sale of Tesla cars amid claims that the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have misled buyers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars. We’ve also got market-leading news out of Vietnam and a pricey, pricey lesson for one VW ID.Buzz buyer on today’s lesson-learning episode of Quick Charge!
We also ask what this might mean for the recent Uber/Lucid autonomous taxi tie-up and go through a full rundown of the fastest depreciating EVs on the market (and yes, there are four Tesla models in the top 10 … because the Cybertruck was too new to qualify).
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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.
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Sunrun is putting tens of thousands of home batteries to work in Puerto Rico as the island’s electric grid faces a summer of high temperatures and energy shortfalls.
The company says it’s now dispatching energy from over 37,000 residential batteries to help grid operator LUMA keep the lights on. That stored power is being used to prevent rolling blackouts when demand spikes and centralized power plants can’t keep up.
Sunrun’s emergency power contribution has grown more than tenfold since last summer. LUMA expects more than 75 energy shortfall events between now and October, with each dispatch sending electricity to the grid for four consecutive hours. During several recent evenings, Sunrun and other virtual power plant (VPP) operators provided enough energy to offset a 50-megawatt generation gap, LUMA said.
Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said Puerto Rico’s aging infrastructure and intense weather patterns make home battery support increasingly critical:
It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.
She added that distributed power plants like Sunrun’s serve the same role as natural gas peaker plants – offering fast, reliable power during high-demand moments – but with clean energy.
Sunrun customers enrolled in the VPP will get paid too. Each participating battery earns about $200 minimum for the season, and customers who allow more of their stored energy to go to the grid earn even more. Sunrun also earns revenue for operating the VPP.
Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. 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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