Buying a $1,700 electric jeep from China? Here’s what you’ll get
China’s online shopping site Alibaba is chock-full of interesting electric vehicles with all sorts of wacky designs. And for this week’s entry in the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week, a super low-cost electric jeep like this looks just about as fun as it does oddly proportioned.
The vendor lists a price range of between US $1,000 to $2,400, but when I discussed it with them I was quoted a price of closer to US $1,700.
So what does US $1.7k get you in the world of cheap electric jeeps?
Not much, if you’re expecting something that can tackle the Rubicon trail. But if you’re looking for something fun to tool around the trailhead, this might be it. Well, as long as your legs aren’t too long.
The electric jeep is more of a shrunken version, measuring a mere 2.2 meters (7.5 feet) long, bumper to bumper.
It’s got two seats, but the video below of an adult operating it makes it look like you and your riding buddy better be pretty close pals.
The electric jeep comes with three different motor options of 500W, 800W, and 1,500W. With the largest of the three offering a measly two horsepower of continuous power and perhaps 50% more in peak power, this isn’t going to be a high performance ride. The 48V 20Ah lead acid battery pack doesn’t sound too large, but they somehow magically quote a range of up to 130 km (80 miles). Good luck with that.
They do show it climbing an incline, but it doesn’t do so very fast. The little electric jeep’s top speed is just 35-40 km/h (22 to 25 mph), with the final figure in that range likely decided by how large your lunch was today.
There’s also only 10 cm (4 inches) of ground clearance, so you’ll want to be careful with any seriously uneven terrain.
If you do get stuck though, don’t fret. The little electric jeep includes a winch as part of the price. It’s not pictured, but they assured me it comes in the box. If you want any other accessories though, like the wheel cowls, taller roll bar, jerry cans or spare wheels, those will cost you extra.
And if your winch cable isn’t long enough to reach the nearest tree, the entire thing only weighs 180 kg (400 lb), so you can probably just grab one end and heave a bit.
It’s not quite as old school Willys jeep-looking as the last awesome electric jeep I found, but in a way I kind of like this one better. It doesn’t try too hard for a vintage army look, and instead offers a more 90s Wrangler vibe.
Of course this is a jeep with a lowercase ‘j’, so don’t expect any real Wrangler nods, but the design certainly looks like it’d be fun for playing around in while off-road. It won’t have quite the utility of most other electric UTVs, but it sure would turn more heads.
And before you start pulling out your wallet, please allow me to help you put that bad idea to rest. As usual, here’s my disclaimer that this column is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. It’s fun to find these weird and awesome EVs on Alibaba, but I never recommend anyone buying one. In fact, one of my readers bought something similar a couple years ago and found that the production quality was seriously lacking, to the point that he wouldn’t have been able to assemble it if he hadn’t owned a welder and been able to re-engineer it in his garage.
Then there’s the whole risk of buying on Alibaba in general. While I’ve had positive experiences buying some vehicles like my electric mini-truck and five seater electric boat, I’ve also had horror stories. I ordered an electric excavator several months ago, and while the transaction seemed to be going fine, the crate that finally showed up had a totally different useless machine in it that was effectively worthless. I was out some serious dough with absolutely no recourse (full story on that one coming soon, once I calm down).
So in good old fashioned “Do what I say, not what I do”, please don’t try and order weird things like this from Alibaba. Let’s just all enjoy window shopping and keeping our hard earned money in our bank accounts, getting drained monthly by Netflix, just like the good lord intended.
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The BYD “Shenzhen” set sail on its first voyage overseas this week. With 9,200 parking spots, or about enough to fill 20 football fields, BYD’s new car transport ship is now the world’s largest.
BYD’s largest car carrier sets sail for Brazil
BYD’s Shenzhen is on its maiden voyage to Brazil after setting sail on April 27. The vessel is carrying over 7,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It’s the largest single batch of NEVs exported from China so far.
The new vessel is BYD’s fourth car transport ship and the world’s largest, capable of carrying 9,000 vehicles. According to the company, that’s enough to fill about 20 football fields.
BYD launched its first car carrier, the Explorer No 1, in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
Its second, the BYD Changzhou, set sail in December 2024, followed by the Hefei earlier this year. All three vessels can carry up to 7,000 vehicles, making the Shenzhen the largest so far.
The Shenzhen is named after the automaker’s hometown and demonstrates “BYD’s firm determination to promote sustainable development in Brazil.”
BYD is preparing to launch two more vessels, the Changsha and Xi’an. The Changsha is expected to launch soon, while the Xi’an was introduced on April 2.
The new car carriers will help accelerate BYD’s aggressive overseas expansion. In the first three months of 2025, the company sold over 206,000 NEVs overseas, more than double the number it sold last year.
BYD sells a wide range of vehicles in Brazil, including the low-cost Dolphin Mini, starting at around $20,000 (99,800 BRL). In October, it launched its first hybrid pickup truck, the Shark, starting at 379,800 BTL ($66,900).
Brazil is only one overseas market that BYD is targeting. BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe in 2025, with significant growth in other key regions like Southeast Asia, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, to name a few.
Source: BYD
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‘Tesla homes’ in a Houston neighborhood where all the homes have Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls went for sale.
7 out of the 11 homes have reportedly already sold.
Tesla neighborhood is a term that is being used for new developments where all the homes integrate all or part of Tesla’s power ecosystem, including the Powerwall home battery pack.
The best example is a giant new development project in Austin, Texas, by Brookfield Asset Management and Dacra in which up to 12,000 new homes are to be built and offering Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls.
However, since the announcement, it looks like only some of the homes in the new neighborhood have Tesla energy systems.
In 2022, Tesla also announced a similar project in Las Vegas.
A year later, the company claimed to have deployed “over 600 solar neighborhoods” worldwide, with a total capacity exceeding 100 MW.
One such ‘Tesla neighborhood’ is a small block of 11 townhouse homes featuring Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls in Houston, Texas.
The homes were recently completed and went on sale, starting at $544,900.
Here are some pictures from the listings:
Utopia Homes, the developer behind the project, described the properties (via Chron):
Step into modern elegance expertly crafted by Utopia Homes. This property showcases groundbreaking Tesla Solar Roof Shingles and Power Wall technology, ensuring 100% energy security and eliminating electric bills for a truly sustainable lifestyle.
The house has proved popular according to the real estate agents, with 7 out of 11 homes already sold.
As we recently reported, Tesla’s solar roofs have proven to be a more expensive and niche product than the company previously presented.
Tesla has largely stopped discussing it, but it is still being deployed through some third-party installers, such as in this case, on new homes.
However, its Powerwall product remains a very popular solution for homeowners seeking greater energy independence and protection against outages, which have been a frequent problem in Texas.
More homeowners are turning to generators, and alternatives like home battery packs are gaining popularity.
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Canadian electric propulsion specialist Vision Marine continues to graduate beyond advanced outboard motors into a provider of all-electric boats. This month, Vision introduced two new electric pontoon boats – the 12-passenger V24 and 15-passenger V30, each capable of a range up to 90 nautical miles.
Vision Marine Technologies ($VMAR) is a Canadian technology company with over 25 years of experience in the marine industry. The company made waves (literally) by introducing its E-Motion turnkey powertrain system, which it has since integrated into a catamaran speedboat, which set a speed record of 109 mph in 2022.
Since then, Vision has introduced six hp two-cruiser vessels – the Fantail 217 and Volt 180, each capable of transporting 10 passengers via its E-Motion technology. Most recently, Vision Marine has integrated the full power of its 180 hp electric powertrain technology into two additional vessels, both electric pontoon boats.
Earlier this month, the company officially began sales of the Vision V24 and V30, which you can view below.
Vision Marine brings power and range to electric pontoons
According to Vision Marine Technologies, orders for its two new electric pontoon boats are now open, and they are touting the same E-Motion technology that put the company on the map a few years ago.
The first model is the V24, a 12-passenger electric pontoon that is 24′ 8″ in length and has 180 hp. The ultra-quiet E-Motion powertrain is powered by a standard 43 kWh marine battery pack, offering 40 nautical miles (46 miles) of all-electric range on a single charge. For added range, Vision sells a version of the electric pontoon with a second battery pack, totaling 86 kWh and delivering up to 90 nautical miles (104 miles) of range.
While the V24 offers more of a classic attempt at the pontoon boat, Vision’s additional new vessel, the all-electric V30, is a tad sportier and provides room for more passengers aboard (15). This 30′ vessel features the same E-Motion powertrain options, complete with the same two battery configurations to offer the same ranges as the V24.
However, the V30 has additional features such as 4 x 6.5″ interior speakers and cool-touch seats. Both models feature an integrated onboard charger that supports both 120- 240V (30 to 50 amps) for seamless charging, no matter the dock plug while moored.
The Vision V24 starts at $99,995 for the standard battery pack version, while the V30 starts at a higher price of $139,995. As previously mentioned, both electric pontoon boats are available to order today.
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