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Golf carts are becoming much more popular these days, even off of the greens, for their use as alternative transportation. But would you be prepared to give up your four-wheeled golf cart for a much smaller (yet still four-wheeled) electric scooter?

It’s a bit wacky, but that makes it just right for this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column.

I’m a card-carrying member of the I Love Golf Carts alliance, or at least I would be if such a club existed. They’re just such cool vehicles for their combination of utility and efficiency. Who needs a car when you can get around in an air-open vehicle for a fraction of the cost and with zero emissions?

But it appears that even a golf cart might be too big for some people, based on how a group of Chinese engineers decided to rethink the vehicle to create an even smaller footprint.

Meet the golf scooter, a pint-sized device that could fold up to fit on the bench of a typical golf cart.

Unlike a traditional electric scooter, this one has double the wheels to create a more stable platform. There’s no need to put a foot down when you stop, at least not unless you’re stopping on a particularly steep section.

Though even there they claim that a parking brake feature will keep you solidly planted. I’ll let someone else test that feature out.

Two of the four wheels apparently sport 2,000W motors, meaning you’ve got 4 kW or just over 5 horsepower beneath your feet, neatly tucked away in something that looks like a children’s toy. That’s a similar power level to real golf carts, and so this would make for a great drag race event!

The entire vehicle only weighs 36 kg (79 lb) yet can hit a blistering top speed of up to 25 km/h (15 mph). Ok, so perhaps that’s not terribly fast, but at least it’s got an effective range of over 45 km (28 miles).

That range is sufficient to make this little four-wheeled electric scooter effective even off of the golf course. I could see this being a handy utility vehicle. Instead of a golf club bag, you could swap a shopping bag into its place and scoot around your local grocery store performing the weekly shopping run.

Or perhaps you just need to get even more creative. This may look like a one-person vehicle to the untrained eye. But the out-of-the-box thinkers among us might just be able to turn it into a family vehicle for dropping the kids off at school.

Our graphics guy worked overtime to bring you into the scary depths of my imagination

There’s even a version with an attached umbrella so your kid doesn’t get wet. I mean, they may serve as a mudguard from the front, but at least their hair will stay dry!

And if you’re still not sold, then wait until you see the price. While even a cheap golf cart will run you around US $9,000 these days, the four-wheeled golf scooter here is priced at a reasonable $999. But as my savvy Alibaba-post readers will know, you can often do even better when shopping in bulk. If you are prepared to take delivery of 100 of these blessed contraptions, you can drop the price down to a cool $850. I know, I know… How can you afford NOT to?!

Ok, joking aside, please don’t try and buy one of these things. I often intend to remind folks that this series is largely tongue-in-cheek and that buying any large purchase sight unseen from halfway around the world is fraught with peril. I’ve had some awesome successes doing this myself, but I’ve also had some dismal failures that left me out some serious cash. That’s why these Alibaba products should probably remain an amusing intellectual exercise, nothing more.

So, while it’s fun to enjoy imagining what it’d be like to cruise the links on a Chinese four-wheeled e-scooter, this is one that’s probably best left on the computer screen. But if you do ignore my warnings, as my readers often seem keen to do, definitely let me know when it’s time to open the box. I’d be fascinated to see it!

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U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears

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U.S. crude oil falls below  a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. 

Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters

U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.

Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.

Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.

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Oil futures, 5 years

The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.

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What EV sales slump? Illinois’ EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

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What EV sales slump? Illinois' EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.

Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.

Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)

What’s going on in Illinois?

File:Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (33167937268).jpg
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at the Chicago Auto Show; by Ray Cunningham.

While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.

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At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).

We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.

SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.

Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.

XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.

We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).

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XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?

Easy in, easy out

XCMG battery swap crane; via Etrucks New Zealand.

The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.

You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.

SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.

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