Connect with us

Published

2 years ago

on

Oops, I did it again. I found a cool electric vehicle online while browsing China’s largest shopping platform, and I had to get one. The only problem is I somehow ended up with a container full of them this time. This is the story of how a pile of awesome electric construction equipment ended up in my yard.

Earlier this year I was cruising through Alibaba looking at all the electric construction equipment. My parents have a small ranch in Florida and we were looking for some type of tractor or loader for some general around the property use.

If you know me, you’ll know I’m pretty big into EVs as work vehicles due to the lower operating cost, near-zero maintenance, and a whole host of other reasons. The biggest problem though is that electric tractors and heavy machinery are extremely expensive.

Machines like Monarch’s electric tractor are priced at nearly US $100,000. There are cheaper alternatives like the Solectrac with a front loader for closer to US $35,000, but that’s still more than I was looking to spend for backyard machinery, even if it’s a fairly large 10-acre backyard.

I also decided a wheel loader was a better direction than a pure tractor since we don’t need the crazy torque of a tractor. We aren’t plowing fields, but rather doing more general and diverse heavy-lift jobs. That means the extreme versatility of an articulating wheel loader would be better for us. With a wheel loader, you get something that can function like a tractor for light jobs, but also has a bucket for moving dirt, can work as a forklift, post driller, excavator, etc.

Other diesel-powered loaders of the size I was looking for seem to start at close to US $45,000, with electric models being basically non-existent until you get into the massive machines used by construction companies and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So that’s how I ended up turning to China, as I have in the past to find cool electric vehicles that I can’t find in the West.

This story is about to end up with me rigging a 20,000 lb container to a massive crane

I found a couple of interesting machines, one rated for 880 lb (400 kg) of lifting capacity and another larger version rated for 1440 lb (650 kg) of lifting capacity. They were priced at roughly $5k and $8k respectively, though I knew those prices wouldn’t stick. The “real” price on all of these Alibaba machines is always much higher. My Chinese electric mini-truck was advertised at $2,000, but it cost me around $8,000 in total to land it in my driveway. The 400% markup was almost identical on my electric boat, which started at just over $1,000 but ended up costing me closer to $4,000 with all of the shipping, customs, etc.

Ocean freight has come down a bit since I got those, so I was hoping to get out of this for a bit less than 4x the advertised price. But even if not, it would still be much less than the cost of an equivalent machine in the US.

I was starting to fret about deciding between the smaller and larger loaders, since the smaller would probably be sufficient but that big boy was looking mighty enticing. Ultimately, the factory made the decision for me. Unlike the things I’ve bought in the past, they wouldn’t sell a single unit. They only sold by the container. Gulp.

If I wanted one of the kids, I was going to have to take the whole family.

I’ve never imported a full container of weird things before. I’ve always bought my odd Chinese vehicles by the unit. This was going to be a bigger show than I was expecting when I first got into it.

Finally, I decided I would bite the bullet and get a container of them with the hope of just selling the extras. It took some convincing with the wife, but we’ve been together long enough for her to know that twinkle in my eye when she sees it. It’s worked out well enough in the past (most of the time), so what’s one more gamble?

electric wheel loader

It was quite a gamble, let me tell you. The process took months. Many. Frustrating. Months.

The fun part was spec’ing my machines, of which I set myself up with three smaller units and one big boy, which tightly filled a 20 ft container. I also figured that if I’m already sending a container, I might as well fill up the empty air space with some more goodies. To do that, I added in some accessories like pallet forks, augers, excavator arms, etc.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

From there, it turned into a longer and more drawn-out process than I had expected. The manufacturing time ballooned. The customs paperwork was confusing and seemingly endless. I had to figure out my own logistics for once the container got to the port in Miami. It’s not like you can just ask a friend with a truck to grab your 20,000 lb container. I had to somehow get that big container several hundred miles inland to the family’s ranch.

I also discovered that there was going to be a major unloading problem due to us not having a loading dock on the ranch. There wouldn’t be a way to get the loaders out unless they would be ok with a nearly 5 foot drop driving out the back of a container chassis truck. (They would not.)

Plus, with the amount it would cost me to get a container chassis truck to deliver the container, wait while I unload the machines, then return the container to the port, I could just about buy the whole freaking container myself. And so that’s what I did.

That actually solved the delivery issue since I didn’t have to figure out how to get the machines out of a container sitting so high up on the back of a truck. Instead, I just had the whole container dropped on the property so I could drive them right out the door onto the ground.

And that’s how I did it, though it did require one more added expense of a crane to lower the container down. You can see all the details in the unboxing and testing video I made.

That was unloading day, which happened many long months after I started this whole thing. How many months, exactly? Well, I wrote the original article where I found the machines back in January, and now it’s November. You do the math.

The good news is that the machines were finally here! Unloading wasn’t a cakewalk but went decently well. The machines could have been secured better but were mostly fine. Upon first cracking open the container door, one machine was slightly askew with a tire six inches up the container wall, but it was sitting there happily, at least.

I’m guessing somewhere along the journey, a bump to the container bounced one machine up and the tire caught on the wall. Fortunately it seemed fine and I just wiggled the steering wheel to drop the tire back down.

I drove the machines out and managed to drag the attachments out as well. Once I got the various attachments to the lip of the container with muscle power, I actually used lifting straps and the pallet fork attachment on one of the loaders to carry them out. Each weighs several hundred pounds so it was a good time to have a loader.

electric loader

My first tests with the machines were on some fresh mulch, and boy, was it fun!

You know how you played with those Tonka trucks in the sandbox as a kid? It’s literally the exact same fun feeling when you have your own life-sized versions, even if they’re mini-machines themselves.

Wielding a third of a cubic yard of mulch over your head with just the slight flick of your wrist is a fun feeling!

electric mini-loader

Next, I wanted to try out some of the attachments. I started with the digger attachment since an excavator was the next machine on my list that I wanted.

Mini-excavators cost around $15,000-$25,000 for an imported diesel-powered machine. Electric mini-excavators are rare but can run closer to $75,000-$100,000.

If I could turn my electric loader into an electric excavator for less than $2,000, that’d be a huge score! I knew it wouldn’t match the capabilities of a dedicated excavator, but if I could dig a hole several feet deep, I’d call that a success.

The digger attachment mounts in place of the loader’s bucket, and it’s easy to swap on since I made sure to spec the machine with a hydraulic quick hitch to release and mount attachments directly from the cab. You don’t even have to get out of your chair. Well, at least not for the manual tools like the buckets, pallet forks, etc. In the case of the digger, it has a hydraulic feature for curling the digger bucket, so I had to hop out and manually connect the hydraulic lines.

From there, it was time to dig a hole. And by golly, it works! It only has a dig depth of around 3-4 feet (approximately 1 meter), but that’s enough for a lot of tasks like planting trees, digging trenches, etc. It won’t dig down 6-10 feet (2-3 meters) like a larger dedicated excavator, but I’m not digging a basement here.

For most everyday tasks that you’d use a shovel for, you’re probably not digging more than 4 feet deep. And so this is basically a powered shovel that saves a lot of back-breaking labor. It’s going to make planting trees on the property a lot easier from now on, that’s for sure!

Next, I wanted to try the auger. It’s basically a large drill that can be used for putting in fence posts, mailboxes, trees, or other tasks where you’d want to drill a big, deep hole in the world beneath you.

And again, the dang thing worked perfectly. It mounts just like the digger and is hydraulically powered. In less than a minute I had a clean, deep hole that was perfect for a fence post.

The entire process was super quiet, too. In fact, my dad and I used the machines for a pile of tasks, such as propping back up the little roof over our well that blew over in the last hurricane. It’s a few hundred pounds and nearly 10 feet (3 meters) tall, so the larger loader with the forks was great for hoisting it into place.

articulating wheel loader

Carrying other things like telephone poles, tree branches, water cisterns, and just about everything else was suddenly much more convenient.

We could even pair the loaders with my electric mini-truck for our own mini work site.

Man, this is getting more and more like a backyard childhood sandbox.

The charging process is surprisingly similar to an electric bike. They don’t require an electric vehicle charging station, but rather just have their own charging brick. You plug one end into a 110V AC outlet and the other into the loader.

Charging reportedly takes around 6-7 hours from empty, though I avoided running them totally empty since it’s not great for the SLA batteries.

Oh right, the batteries. So I would have loved to have lithium-ion batteries here for the longer lifespan, but there were a couple of downsides.

For one, the huge 9 kWh and 14.4 kWh SLA packs on the smaller and larger machines actually help serve as ballast in the rear, increasing the load rating that each machine can lift. Second, those big packs would have been even more expensive as lithium-ion batteries.

Another advantage of AGM SLA batteries is you can find them from probably a hundred different suppliers in the US. One day when these packs finally crap out, I won’t have to wonder where to get replacements. I can just get any big 12V bricks and string them together. It’s only slightly more complicated (and heavier) than changing a car battery.

loader lifing crate

As it stands, these things weren’t cheap. With all in for the four loaders, shipping, customs, transportation, and the attachments, I figure I’ve got nearly $50k worth of equipment in that container. Which is why I’m going to have to sell three of those things, even though it’s fun to have what looks like my own construction company with all of these machines hanging around.

Speaking of that though, this whole process has actually led me to realize that there really should be a company in the US for this kind of stuff. Electric mini-construction vehicles like these are so useful for small businesses, hobby farms, wineries, and other users that don’t need a massive Caterpillar backhoe or John Deere machine. For many individuals and small operators, a 5-ton and $100,000 piece of equipment is simply overkill. Smaller machines like these are more useful and more accessible for many folks.

And so that’s what I’m working on now. I’m getting set up to actually offer these things in the US, and be able to support them so people don’t have to take a risk ordering something from halfway around the world before being left out to dry on a machine with no support or warranty. If you want to learn more about it, check out my new site, Nesher Equipment. I’m actually going to start by selling three of these machines, since I never planned on keeping them… and can’t really afford to hang onto four loaders when we only need one for use on our property.

One day, I believe that most construction equipment will be electric. For now, that day still seems pretty far down the road, at least in the US. But maybe I can help some of us get there just a bit sooner.

loader lineup

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Environment

Podcast: Tesla Robotaxi setback, Mercedes-Benz CLA EV, Bollinger is over, and more

Published

8 hours ago

on

November 28, 2025

By

Podcast: Tesla Robotaxi setback, Mercedes-Benz CLA EV, Bollinger is over, and more

electrek podcast

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss a big Tesla Robotaxi setback, the new Mercedes-Benz CLA EV, Bollinger is over, and more.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Climate XChange, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to help states pass effective, equitable climate policies. Sales end on Dec. 8th for its 10th annual EV raffle, where participants have multiple opportunities to win their dream model. Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to learn more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:


Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google
Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Segway’s latest E3 Pro smart e-scooter hits new $500 low, NIU Black Friday EV sale (47% off), Anker SOLIX, Lectric, Aiper, more

Published

9 hours ago

on

November 28, 2025

By

Segway's latest E3 Pro smart e-scooter hits new 0 low, NIU Black Friday EV sale (47% off), Anker SOLIX, Lectric, Aiper, more


Today’s Green Deals is another jam-packed Black Friday edition, with all the ongoing savings we’ve spotted up until today having been collected into our Black Friday Green Deals hub here for your one-stop shopping needs. Our headliner is Segway’s new feature-packed E3 Pro Electric Scooter with Apple Find My that is down at a new $500 low, with NIU’s full Black Friday EV sale following right behind with up to 47% taken off e-scooters and e-bikes starting from $279. There’s also Anker’s SOLIX C300X AC Portable Power Station and a bundle option at new low prices starting from $160, as well as Lectric’s newly launched 40% off e-bike accessory sale + increased 30% off e-bike extra batteries, a smart irrigation system, a battery jumper/power bank combo, and much more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals that are collected together at the bottom of the page (and also in our Black Friday Green Deals hub), like yesterday’s expanded Rad Power Black Friday Sale lineup, the Black Friday savings on Anker eufy smart security devices at new lows, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Segway’s feature-packed E3 Pro electric scooter with Apple Find My hits new $500 Black Friday low (Save $200)

Segway’s Black Friday Sale is in full gear and currently seeing hundreds in savings and plenty of returning and new low prices on its e-scooters and e-bikes. One such standout is Segway’s latest E3 Pro Electric Scooter down at $499.99 shipped, and which seems to have disappeared from Amazon’s marketplace. Carrying a $700 MSRP since launching back at the top of October, we’ve only seen this model given $100 price cuts in its launch deal and the brand’s Halloween and early Black Friday sales. Now, with things having ramped up with increased savings now that Black Friday is in full swing, you can score a larger-than-ever $200 markdown to a new all-time low price, giving you an advanced upgrade to your commute that I have been loving so far since getting one a short time ago.

I’ve been riding around Brooklyn for a short time now with my own Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter and have been loving my experience so far, as it’s a MAJOR step up from the very basic E22 model I’ve had for short travels since 2020. While power has been significantly ramped up from its E2 Pro predecessor, this new generation still retains a fairly lightweight 40-pound design, which I am able (as a not-so-strong person) to carry easily with one hand/arm up and down my second-story stoop.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Segway’s E3 Pro comes bearing a 400W motor (with 800W peaking) alongside a 368Wh battery, the combination of which delivers up to 34 miles of commuting support for your travels at up to 20 MPH speeds. The regenerative brake paired with the brand’s SegRange Optimization tech really lends towards the extended travel times here, with safety taken into mind with the SegRide stability enhancement tech, the latest traction control system, turn signaling, RGB ambient lighting for nighttime journeys, and a bright headlight. What’s more, security is bolstered by the Apple Find My inclusion for those worried about tracking it down should theft (or forgetfulness) occur.

One thing I have really been enjoying, especially when riding over more pot-hole lined streets, is Segway’s E3 Pro’s dual elastomer suspension, which does a great job of smoothing out overall rides, while providing added cushioning when sudden, jolting sections of the road (or debris/trash) are driven over. Along with all those, there are also additional features, including the previously mentioned rear electronic regen brake getting a companion front drum brake, as well as 10-inch self-sealing jelly tires, an IPX5 water-resistant build, a 265-pound total payload, and a 3-inch full-color LED screen for setting adjustments.

Be sure to check out Segway’s full official Black Friday Sale while it lasts for a short while longer, which can save you hundreds at the best prices of the year starting from $150.

man and woman riding NIU KQi 200F electric scooters through streets in both day and night

Score up to 47% Black Friday savings on NIU EVs, like the 2025 KQi 200F e-scooter at its $529 low (Reg. $799), more from $279

NIU’s Black Friday EV Sale is in full motion now, taking up to 47% off its lineup of e-scooters and e-bikes, like the KQi 200F Foldable Handlebar Electric Scooter for $529 shipped, which you can currently only find in a used condition at Amazon. This is one of the brand’s newer 2025 models that fetches $799 at full price, which dipped down to this rate for the first time earlier in the month before these Black Friday savings. Now, you’re getting another shot at this all-time low price with $270 savings, giving you a solid commuter that sits among the mid-range models from NIU.

You can view the full lineup of NIU’s Black Friday e-scooter and e-bike deals in our original coverage here.

Anker SOLIX C300X power station charging drone and projector on rocks

Anker’s SOLIX C300X 90,000mAh portable power station + solar bundle option at new Black Friday lows from $160

As part of Amazon’s ongoing Black Friday Week Sale, and running parallel to Anker’s SOLIX Black Friday Sale, the brand’s official storefront is offering the C300X 90,000mAh Portable Power Station (misnamed on page as C200X) for $159.99 shipped. Normally going for $300 at full price, this alternate darker colorway beats out its standard grey colorway’s direct sale pricing by $40, with its Amazon pricing on that model also beaten out by the same amount. Discounts before October kept things above $189, with increased falls lower to 169 and $161 over last month and mid-way through this month, before this Black Friday deal dropped things to a new all-time low. Not only are you saving a total $140 here, but you’ll also be getting the best price tracked on the station’s 60W foldable solar panel bundle that’s down at a low of $240 shipped.

If you want to learn more about this model, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here, and be sure to also browse through Anker’s extended/expanded SOLIX Black Friday Sale in full here.

man and woman riding Lectric e-bikes
man holding Lectric e-bike battery
Aiper IrriSense smart irrigation system watering grass in yard
GOOLOO's GP4000 jump started connected to car battery

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google
Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla has sold ~100 cars since entering the world’s largest country in July

Published

9 hours ago

on

November 28, 2025

By

Tesla has sold ~100 cars since entering the world's largest country in July

tesla store how to test drive buy a tesla

Tesla’s much-awaited entry into the Indian market has resulted in very slow sales to start, but it may not all be bad.

We’ve covered the years-long effort of Tesla to enter the Indian auto market. There have been a lot of intentions and fits and starts, but due to protectionist schemes in the country it never made a lot of sense for Tesla to enter.

That changed this year in March, when India waived EV import duties, allowing foreign firms to bring their cars in for sale. While India does have some strong local brands in Mahindra and Tata, this opened the gates to Chinese, German, Korean and American brands – namely, Tesla.

So far, other American companies have declined to bring their EVs to India, but Tesla opened its first showroom in Mumbai, India’s most populous city and financial capital, in July of this year. It opened a larger “Tesla Center” showroom in Gurugram, outside Delhi, this week.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

So, Tesla is only getting started in India, but by all measures it has been an exceedingly slow start, according to the BBC.

Dealership data shows that Tesla has only sold “just over” 100 cars in India since July, an exceedingly low number by any measure – especially when considering the India is now the most populous country in the world, with a population of just under 1.5 billion.

Tesla’s rocky start included losing its head of Indian operations just before launching its first store, among a slew of other executive departures this year and last.

The numbers look a little less bad when comparing against EV sales in the country. While India has sold an impressive 2 million electric vehicles this year, the vast majority of them have been electric scooters.

Electric passenger cars are a much lower share at around 160k total unit sales this year so far, making up only around 3% of the passenger car market. And the majority of those are lower-cost domestic brands Mahindra and Tata or a growing section of Chinese challengers, with very few sales from overseas luxury brands.

Tesla could be included in that “luxury brand” list, largely due to the price of its imported vehicles. While the Model Y starts at $40k in the US, that price rises to 5,989,000 Rupees in India (~$67k USD). This is simply an unaffordable price for the vast majority of Indians – indeed, only around 1% of India’s auto sales are in the “luxury” category.

Further, EV infrastructure is not very well developed in the country. Tesla has one Supercharger in India, and two listed as “coming soon” in the Gurugram area. There are thousands of other charging points across India (and of course, drivers can charge overnight at home), but the number is still relatively low compared to the country’s population.

Meanwhile, other brands’ EV sales are growing well in India. The auto market as a whole has grown by about 13% this year in the developing country, but EV car sales have grown by 57% in the same period, rapidly outpacing the auto industry as a whole.

Much of that sales growth has been driven by Chinese EVs, which make up around a third of the market. That’s around ~60k Chinese EVs sold this year in India.

Even luxury German EVs from Mercedes, BMW and Audi have sold around 4,000 units so far this year, not a large number, but certainly dwarfing Tesla’s.

So while it’s tempting to look at Tesla’s poor numbers and make excuses about the size of the EV market, ability of Indians to afford luxury vehicles, or state of India’s charging network, it’s hard to compare that low ~100 sales number at any of the competition and label it as anything other than an extremely poor showing.

But, you do have to start somewhere, and the company is only a few months in. So we’ll have to see where it goes from here – though with the sales we’ve seen so far in Mumbai, entering the Delhi market is unlikely to forestall Tesla’s current global sales decline.

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.


Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google
Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending