How my love of weird electric vehicles landed me on 100 million Chinese TVs
A fascination with electric vehicles isn’t anything new. These days, everyone and their brother seems to have an EV. But I’m not one of the “normal” electric vehicle enthusiasts. I’m drawn to the more oddball designs. And that zeal has seen me end up in some weird places. Most recently, it had me end up on a hundred million TV screens across China.
In addition to my day job/passion of being one of the most prolific propagators of electric bike news and reviews on the internet, I moonlight as a broader lover of weird Chinese electric vehicles. You may have even seen my weekly column, the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week.
It mostly started as a lark, the inevitable result of my publisher and I trying to best each other at who could find the weirdest cars on China’s massive shopping website, Alibaba.
Inevitably, they’re almost all electric due to the simple fact that China has quietly led the world in the development and adoption of EVs. Their range of EVs, both the realistic and the fanciful, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Norway may lead the world in adopting electric vehicles, but frankly, anyone can buy an EV. It’s China that leads the world in designing and producing them.
So there we were, my publisher and I chuckling at just how many fun and sometimes bizarre EVs we could find that were produced in China.
I’d toss him an electric replica of a horseless carriage that looked like it belonged in a live-action Cinderella movie. He’d follow up with an electric mini-truck with fold-out solar panel wings. I’d try to top it with a food truck built on the back of an electric bicycle.
After discovering just how deep the rabbit hole to China went, I was hooked. And I had a sneaky suspicion that the rest of the world just might be as interested in the madness as me.
It became a recurring theme each week in the column. And having our talented graphics guy Michael Bower magically transplant me into every vehicle each week certainly helped.
Over the last few years of hunting down the weirdest electric vehicles in the world, I’ve come across some real doozies. The three-wheeled electric RV was a top contender for a while, though who could pass up your own fully functional electric submarine for exploring the ocean’s depths? And where would we be as a society without the world’s tiniest electric police car?
But I also soon discovered something interesting. In addition to super-weird offerings on Alibaba, I was also finding electric vehicles that I actually wished I could own.
How could I resist a bare-bones electric snowmobile or a one-seater speedboat?
When I eventually came across a $2,000 electric mini-truck that looked like a knock-off Ford F-150 that took an unintended trip through the washing machine and dryer, that’s when things changed. It went from “Man, it’d be funny to buy one of these…” to “Uh oh, I think I need to buy this thing.”
I spent months working out the details with the Chinese factory, finding the right customs brokers, getting the paperwork done, and then eventually getting the mini-truck on a boat and headed to the US.
After what felt like an eternity, it finally arrived. And I was immediately in love. What was unobtainable in the US was suddenly driving around my parent’s ranch in Florida. I had an electric mini-truck, complete with air-conditioning and a hydraulic dump bed, that had traveled halfway around the world from China to my fingertips. I was giddy.
And as it would turn out, I wasn’t done. In fact, I was just getting started.
The more I found weird electric vehicles from China, the more I wanted to add to my collection.
Unfortunately, a little thing called economics (or more colloquially known as convincing one’s wife that purchasing something stupid is actually a great idea) made this endeavor more difficult. There was a lot of weird stuff out there, but I had to be picky. I couldn’t afford not to. So I focused on the stuff that seemed the most useful to me.
That’s how just a year later I wound up with a five-seater electric boat slowly puttering its way around the local lake. And more recently, I became the proud new owner of electric construction equipment, including an electric mini-excavator and an electric loader.
Along the way, people started to take notice. I made videos of my escapades, and they began going viral. That electric boat found over 3 million views on YouTube. And remember my electric mini-truck from above? Over 10 million views. I wasn’t the only one enjoying these things anymore.
In fact, the news had gone full circle, landing back in China. A maker of electric micro-cars in China (known locally as “happy grandpas” based on their typical users) wanted me to check out their newest model and sent one to me for an unboxing.
A few months later there was a massive wooden crate in my family’s driveway. It was wild.
The word continued to spread. One morning, I awoke to an email from someone saying they represented a news channel in China, something called “CCTV”, and asked if they could do a story on me. The name didn’t mean much to me, so I asked a Chinese friend of mine if they had heard of the news station. “That’s… the biggest channel in the country,” he said. “You should do it.”
As it turns out based on what Wikipedia told me, China Central Television, or CCTV, claims to have a regular viewership of over 500 million people. Those are the figures from their own survey, but I believe it. Why? Because all local news stations in China are required to run CCTV’s daily news broadcasts in addition to their own programming. That’s state media, for you.
Any potential issues with that aside (and there are many), I was curious to see what Chinese state media would think of me, a Westerner who has a weird fixation with procuring odd Chinese vehicles.
As someone who has once or twice been referred to as a journalist himself, I figured there’d soon be an interview. They’d ask me a few questions. Maybe I’d share some fun stories. We’d all crack a fortune cookie and laugh about my quirky antics.
Nope.
Apparently, they had all they needed from my YouTube videos. The exact story wasn’t important, not when they could read between the lines.
A week or so later, there was my goofy face smiling out to half a billion charmingly confused Chinese people.
The news show had basically just taken several of my YouTube videos, cut out a few select clips of me showing off the features of my electric boat, then added some voiceover.
With the help of a translator app and a friend who speaks Mandarin, I was able to piece the story together.
Basically, they made a cute little puff piece about Chinese products being bought by randos on the internet. Case-in-point was me and my electric boat, to which the adorable presenter directed the audience’s attention.
They showed me unboxing my boat, followed by demonstrating its features and testing it out along with my dad in the local lake.
It was a surreal experience, watching myself show off my electric boat and other electric mini-vehicles on Chinese state media. To be fair, they actually put me on CCTV2, a more business/economics-focused sub-channel. But it’s not like we’re talking ESPN8 “The Ocho” here – I still got some prime-time placement.
And while part of me feels like I was a bit useful for borderline propaganda, there’s no denying the fact that everything I said about these products, and especially that boat, was true. I’d never be able to find a $1,000 fiberglass electric boat like this in the US, and the one I received was quite well manufactured. So if Chinese state media is going to use me to show their own citizens that a local factory built a good boat, then… they’re basically correct.
I even had the chance to video chat with the nice guy who runs the factory and who showed me my boat during the production process. As much as the naysayers would like to imagine a child labor sweatshop, that just wasn’t the case. I was watching skilled boatbuilders building fiberglass and aluminum boats. In fact, on one day that I chatted with him, he explained that the factory was mostly empty because it was so hot that day that he sent the workers home. It was the literal antithesis of a sweatshop.
That’s not to ignore a long list of other problems in the country, but building electric boats isn’t one of them.
So in a nutshell, that’s how I ended up on Chinese state TV. I enjoy strange electric vehicles, and I’ve since followed several of them all the way to the source. That strange journey resulted in me ending up with a weird collection of EVs that eventually caught the attention of the national TV station in China.
Ever since, I take it day by day. I try not to let my newfound 1 minute and 46 seconds of fame and glory go to my head. But some days it’s difficult not to. I imagine by this time next year, I’ll surely be plastered all over kids’ lunch boxes in China, second in popularity only to the great panda. There are rumors that I’ll be included at the next five-year congress meeting. They may even make a national holiday for me.
And it’s true, they may not truly get me or my weird vehicles back here in the West. But I at least hope that somewhere, when someone worriedly asks “What’s the deal with that guy?”, the response will be something to the effect of “I don’t know. I guess he’s big in China?”
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Environment
Volkswagen unveils ID. EVERY1 show car, production version set to launch around 20,000 euros
German automaker Volkswagen has presented a world premiere of a new all-electric show car called the ID. EVERY1. This new entry-level Volkswagen BEV model will evolve into a production version soon and is expected to start at an MSRP of 20,000 euros ($21,500).
Despite its past follies in EV development, particularly on the software side, Volkswagen continues to demonstrate a steeled focus on electrification and expanding its “ID” lineup of BEVs. The automaker’s flagship ID.4 has found success in Europe and the US and has since been joined by additional models such as the ID.3 and ID.Buzz van—another fan favorite (aside from the decision not to offer a camper variant… huge miss, guys).
In addition to those production models on the market, Volkswagen has previewed other BEVs in its pipeline, including the ID.2all and an SUV variant, all part of the brand’s goal to deliver nine new models by 2027, four of which will sit atop VW’s new FWD MEB platform.
One of those new models in the pipeline is Volkswagen’s most compact and affordable BEV to date. In concept form, Volkswagen calls this model the ID. EVERY1, nodding at its affordability and small size in which most everyone can use it… as long as you live in Europe.
To date, we’ve only seen sketches of the ID. EVERY1 and confirmation from Volkswagen that the production version will start at around 20,000 euros. The German automaker echoed those plans during a global premiere event for the ID. EVERY1 in Germany today. Check out the full video below.
Volkswagen ID.EVERY1 set to hit production in 2027
Per a detailed press release from Volkswagen today, the ID. EVERY1 show car makes its global debut as a sporty, compact show car that offers a preview of the production version, slotted to launch sometime in 2027.
The production version will follow the ID.2all, which should arrive in Europe as early as 2026 and is expected to start at around 25,000 euros ($27,000). Both the Volkswagen ID.2all and ID. EVERY1 (official production name pending) will launch as part of a new “Electric Urban Car Family” designed in Europe, for Europe and will feature the automakers FWD MEB platform technology.
The release did not mention software, but considering that vital component for EV success has been a hurdle for the brand, we’d expect at least some of Rivian’s technology to make its way into these Euro models following a $5.8 billion partnership announced last summer. According to Volkswagen Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer, the ID. EVERY1 will help complete a diverse portfolio of electrified models of all sizes for Europe and other markets:
The ID. EVERY1 represents the last piece of the puzzle on our way to the widest model selection in the volume segment. We will then offer every customer the right car with the right drive system—including affordable all-electric entry-level mobility. Our goal is to be the world’s technologically leading high-volume manufacturer by 2030. And as a brand for everyone—just as you would expect from Volkswagen.
Volkswagen shared that the production version of the ID. EVERY1 will be the first model in the entire Group lineup to use a “fundamentally new and particularly powerful software architecture.” Does it start with an “R” and end with an “ivian?” There is no confirmation over here, but that sounds like it! Okay, back to the concept. Here are some brief specs:
- The concept can reach a top speed of 81 mph
- The newly develop FWD motor offers 70kW (94 hp) of power
- The current range is 250 km (155 miles)
- It offers seating for four, plus 10.8 cubic feet (305 liters) of cargo volume
- Its overall length is 3,880mm (152.8 in)
- It’s longer than the VW Up! (41.7 in/3,600 mm) but shorter than the ID.2all (159.4 in/4050 mm)
Looking ahead, Volkswagen said it intends to offer the public a more robust preview of its new “Electric Urban Car Family,” including the ID. EVERY1 and ID.2all this coming fall. For now, here’s a closer look at the ID. EVERY1 show car.
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The Tesla Model 3, once the most popular EV in the critical Chinese EV market, has been quickly surpassed by the Xiaomi SU7, and now they are going after Tesla’s Model Y.
Is the mystical prophecy of the “Tesla killer” finally coming true?
As impressive as Tesla’s entry into the Chinese market was, Xiaomi’s own EV venture in China has been even more remarkable.
Tesla was the first foreign automaker to secure a wholly-owned car factory in China. It built it and started production at the plant in record time, an incredible moment for the EV industry in China and globally.
Within the first 6 months of Model 3 production at Gigafactory Shanghai in 2020, Tesla built around 50,000 vehicles, which was unprecedented.
Xiaomi, better known for its electronics, produced 70,000 SU7 EVs in the first six months of production last year.
In its first full year of production, Xiaomi came out of nowhere and outsold Tesla’s Model 3 in the critical Chinese market.
In January, Tesla sold about 8,000 Model 3s in China, while Xiaomi delivered more than 22,000 SU7 EVs. This trend is expected to continue.
It’s not too surprising to see why. The base Xiaomi SU7 starts at 20,000 Yuan cheaper (~$2,500 USD) than the Model 3 and offers a bigger battery pack with 10% more range, as well as many tech features that Tesla doesn’t provide, like a heads-up display.
It even has a rear mini fridge, and since we are comparing it to Tesla, it also has a turn signal stalk.
The most unambiguous indication that the SU7 has taken over the Model 3 is the wait times.
Despite SU7 production already being higher than Model 3, you can get a Model 3 within “1-3 weeks” of ordering, while you have to wait “31-34 weeks” for a new SU7, according to Xiaomi’s online configurator:
If anything, the long wait times on the SU7 are helping Tesla as some can’t wait that long for a new car. However, Xiaomi is still ramping up production.
Speaking of production, Xiaomi took clear inspiration from Tesla. The SU7 is using large casting parts, which Tesla calls “gigacasting” and Xiaomi calls “hypercasting.”
The Chinese company is also using a similar design as what Tesla calls “structural battery pack”, where the pack is a structural part of the vehicle’s chassis.
Interestingly, Tesla uses these features on the Model Y but hasn’t transferred them to the Model 3 yet. Xiaomi uses them on the SU7, its Model 3 competitor – giving it an advantage, and it will do the same on its upcoming Model Y competitor.
That’s where Tesla needs to worry.
Model Y is by far Tesla’s best-selling car, and China is the world’s biggest EV market by a wide margin. What the SU7 did to Model 3, Xiaomi’s upcoming YU7 is likely to do to Model Y.
Xiaomi is going to start production of the YU7 this summer and it is expected to ramp up production just as quickly as it did with the SU7.
It compares similarly to Model Y as SU7 compares to Model 3.
Fortunately for Tesla, the new competition comes as it updated the Model Y, which should help – although current wait times on new orders do point to soft demand for the new version.
Is there finally a “Tesla killer?”
Electrek’s Take
As I was writing and researching this article, by the way big hat tip to Troy Teslike for helping a ton with research for this, I was reminded of the legend of the “Tesla killer.”
It’s a term that the media loved to use every time a legacy automaker launched a new EV in the early days of Tesla. We laughed at them for even suggesting it, as they would apply it to vehicles that didn’t match Tesla’s performance, production volumes, or profitability.
Sure enough, none of them came even close to negatively affecting Tesla, let alone “killing” the company.
But Xiaomi is coming as close as I’ve ever seen in my 15 years of covering Tesla (coming on 10 years full-time professionally).
Let’s be clear: Xiaomi owes Tesla quite a bit for its EV success. The automaker pioneered gigacasting and structural battery packs, and Xiaomi followed suit to great success. I am sure these are not the only Tesla features that inspired Xiaomi.
With that said, this is the reality now, and Tesla is getting left behind.
Tesla benefited from being a foreign brand in China. Buyers saw it as a luxury brand, but the company is now a victim of its own success. The cars became so popular that the brand deteriorated, and it is not seen as premium or exclusive anymore.
At the same time, Chinese manufacturers became much better at making EVs, and now, several of them have achieved a better reputation from buyers in China than Tesla.
Furthermore, with the new Model Y, Tesla went with design accents that are already popular in China. As we previously reported, the new Model Y looks very similar to Xpeng’s vehicles. This is making Tesla “like any other brand in China.”
In my opinion, Chinese competition, especially Xiaomi, will hurt Tesla badly in China this year.
The automaker is planning to roll out cheaper models in the second half of the year. This should help, but the entry EV market is already quite crowded in China, and Tesla is likely to cannibalize itself more than anything.
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Who are we to judge the needs of folks who have $133K burning a hole in their pocket? Certainly, a longer Escalade IQL is better as a huge electric vehicle rather than a gas version? Well, here we are…
Let’s have a look a the eye candy first:
I think objectively, it is a good looking vehicle and maybe even ironically looks smaller as a longer vehicle. Is that a station wagon with a child driving it? The extra $40K worth of increased length is almost entirely added to the rear, providing extra 3rd-row seating space and a larger cargo area(seen above).
Elevating the spaciousness of the vehicle, the 3rd row benefits from more than 4 inches of additional legroom (36.7″ vs. 32.3″), and an additional inch of headroom (38.2″ vs. 37.2″) contributing to more comfortable seating throughout the cabin.
As a reminder, Cadillac changed the Frunk name and says the large eTrunk compartment under the hood offers an additional 12.2 cubic feet of secure storage which is the same as the Escalade IQ.
As for the specs, this is GM’s Ultium 205kWh battery, shared between the Escalade IQ, GMC Hummer/Sierra and Chevy Silverado and it delivers the same 460 miles of range. Also, 350kW charging can deliver up to 116 miles of range in just 10 minutes. The 800V charging curve degrades slightly from there but it is still respectable.
- 750 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque (with driver-selectable Velocity Max10 estimate)
- 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds (with driver-selectable Velocity Max10, Cadillac estimate)
- A Cadillac-estimated max towing capacity of 7500 lbs,
- Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 and Air Ride Adaptive suspension isolate passengers from undesirable road surfaces while providing precise steering and feel
- Isolated Precision, Cadillac’s ride and handling philosophy – quiet, smooth and effortless with a strong connection to the road
- Independent front and rear suspension
- 24-inch wheels and 35-inch tires
- Suite of standard active safety and driver assistance features
- Standard Super Cruise5, the industry’s first truly hand-free driver assistance technology (with three years of OnStar connected service)
GM outlines some of the standout features of the Escalade IQ/L lineup:
- A curved pillar-to-pillar 55-inch total diagonal display for an immersive and personalized infotainment experience with voice control, navigation, an app store and dedicated ESCALADE IQL graphics.
- Seating available for up to seven total passengers, with a power folding third-row, which folds flat for more storage
- Standard AKG 4 Studio 21-speaker audio system, with available AKG Studio
- Reference 38-speaker system, which increases to 42 speakers with available Executive Second Row package. The AKG audio system also features custom-tuned speakers and amplifier content Dolby Atmos® for deeper depth, clarity, and detail when listening to music and entertainment
- Standard Super Cruise5 driver assistance technology on all trims (3 years OnStar Super Cruise plan6)
- Available 5G Wi-Fi® hotspot capability7 connected by OnStar, along with a comprehensive suite of OnStar safety and connected services that enhances each journey and delivers extra peace of mind
- Ample passenger entertainment options, including HD streaming and browser compatibility, so customers can log into any streaming app and watch
- The Escalade IQL also comes equipped with vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging capabilities, which when paired with the GM Energy V2H Bundle, allows for the transfer of energy between the vehicle and a properly equipped home during times of need
The ESCALADE IQL will be offered in four trims – Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury, and Premium Sport with MSRP starting at $132,695. The IQL will be sold globally, including in the U.S. and Canada, with production starting in mid-2025 at General Motors’ Factory ZERO plant in Detroit.
Electrek’s take
Sure, you could make about four small EVs with the 205kWh battery or 10 PHEVs with 50 miles of electric range with one of these batteries. But people are going to buy huge luxury SUVs and it is better to buy an EV than a gas version, right?
Also with GM’s V2L options, this huge 205kWh battery could back up a home for weeks or be used in emergencies.
For those who prize the decadence of an Escalade but also need some extra third row space for that ski trip to Aspen or Jackson Hole, you have your vehicle. Or, most likely, those ballers who want to have the biggest, most expensive, luxurious SUV on the market.
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