This Chinese electric bus is adorably shaped like a koala bear
Have you ever been in the mood to drive an electric bus, and then thought to yourself, “the only thing that could make this better is if the bus was shaped like a marsupial”? Yea, me neither. At least not until I stumbled upon this precious specimen of a koala bus.
It’s not the first animal-shaped electric bus that has headlined the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column. But it just might be the cutest.
And to be fair, I did think it was a mouse until our graphics guy corrected me. But that’s kind of the beauty of a nondescript animal bus – it can be whatever you want it to be!
In this case, what it is is a 14-seater electric bus, including the driver. There’s even a full seat next to the driver, perfect for that one kid on the bus. You know the one.
Granted, the interior doesn’t look quite as magical as the exterior, but sometimes that’s just life.
And in fact, there are a few head-scratchers spread around the interior. I’m still trying to figure out exactly how the seat belt system works here. Is it a buddy system? Are those crotch straps? is it decorative? If you’ve got both a plastic grab handle AND a chrome face-smashing bar AND velvet ropes instead of walls, do you really need the loop-de-loop belts, anyway?
The world needs answers.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of hard answers for you on the design decisions. What I can tell you though is what is happening regarding the technical side.
Based on the spec sheet, it looks like we’re working with a 5-meter (16-foot) bus carrying a curb weight of a mere 1,250 kg (2,755 lb). Frankly, that’s suspiciously lightweight. I’m kind of wondering what was cut out (besides the walls) to achieve that svelte physique.
It seems the powertrain might be part of the answer. Instead of a burly workhorse of a motor, we’ve got a paltry 5.5 kW spinner powering that rear axle. And the 9.6 kWh battery isn’t exactly huge either, though the lead acid battery design means it’s probably contributing to around a quarter of the entire vehicle’s weight.
But hey, when I said “koala bus”, I don’t think anyone came running over expecting something that was going to lay down respectable times at the local drag strip. You’re all here for a bus with a koala on it, and by god, that’s what you’ll get. I’ll stake my reputation on this right now – there’s no other bus out there that’s got more koala than this one, and that’s a promise you can take to the bank.
Just don’t try and make an international wire transfer while you’re there. Just because this koala bus is priced at around $8,500 doesn’t mean you should try to get one into your driveway. Ignoring the whole host of issues such as street legality and safety, don’t forget that you’d have a super desirable vehicle on your hands and no locking doors. Good luck waking up and still having a koala bus in your driveway. That puppy is going, going, gone as soon as thieves realize what a prize you’ve found. I don’t know the resale value of an electric animal bus on the black market, but it’s got to be up there.
So add this to the list of fun, funny, or just plain weird Alibaba electric vehicles that I’d love to try but I’m not going to risk my paycheck on trying to own.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032.
The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include:
- The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh)
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a subsidiary of Pattern Energy for three stand-alone BESS in the municipalities of Arecibo (50 MW/200 MWh), and Santa Isabel (50 MW /200 MWh and 80 MW/320 MW), and a 70 MW solar farm with an integrated BESS in the municipality of Arecibo.
If all are finalized, these projects would more than double LPO’s support for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage in Puerto Rico.
LPO provides low-cost financing and a rigorous due diligence process, making it a valuable resource for Puerto Rico as it works to rebuild an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. As a result of reliance on imported fuel, the persistent threat of tropical storms, and underinvested infrastructure, Puerto Ricans today face average energy costs that are twice the US average – all while consuming only one-quarter of the energy of the US per capita.
LPO’s initial loan to a power producer in Puerto Rico, Project Marahu, closed in October 2024, and when complete will add more than 200 MW of solar and up to 285 MW of stand-alone energy storage to Puerto Rico’s grid.
Through its September 2023 partial loan guarantee to Project Hestia, LPO also supports virtual power plant (VPP)-ready rooftop solar and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico. As a nationwide project, Hestia’s sponsor is committed to at least 20% of installations under Project Hestia going to homeowners in Puerto Rico.
As part of its procurement plan, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority seeks to install 1,500 MW of battery storage and requires a minimum capacity of storage to be co-located with each utility-scale solar project. Energy storage systems currently online in Puerto Rico are being dispatched every day.
When including Marahu, LPO’s closed and conditionally committed financing supports over 100% of the capacity Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority aimed to procure under its initial request for energy storage project proposals, the first of six.
Read more: Cleantech investments to top fossil fuels for the first time in 2025
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Chevy just introduced new deals on the Equinox and Blazer EV models to make them even more affordable. With 0% interest and a new trade-in bonus, Chevy is offering over $5,000 in savings.
Chevy adds new Equinox and Blazer EV deals in January
Although the Chevy Equinox EV is already “the most affordable” EV in its class with over 315 miles range, it’s getting even cheaper.
Earlier this week, Chevy launched new deals on the 2024 Equinox and Blazer EV models. According to a note sent to dealers, viewed by CarsDirect, the electric SUVs are now available with 0% APR financing for 60 months. You can also choose from 0.9% AP for 72 months and 2.9% APR for 84 months.
This marks the best financing offer on Chevy’s newest EVs to date. The previous best rates were 0.9% APR for 60 months, 3.9% for 72 months, and 5.9% for the longer 84-month option.
On a 7-year $45,000 loan, online auto research firm CarsDirect estimates the new deals amount to around a $5,200 price cut. The lower APR rates are already offered on the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup.
In addition, Chevy is offering a trade-in bonus of up to $3,000 on the Silverado EV and $1,000 on the electric Equinox and Blazer models. If you choose to lease, the bonus is cut in half: $1,500 for the Silverado and $500 for the electric SUVs.
Chevy’s new EV deals started on January 14 and run through March 3, 2025. The deals come as rivals like Hyundai and Ford recently launched new EV promotions.
On Thursday, Hyundai launched a new promo on the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5, which includes monthly leases as low as $199 and a free ChargePoint home EV charger (or $400 charging credit). Meanwhile, Ford extended its “Power Promise” program earlier this month, which also includes a free home charger, among several other benefits.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV started at $41,900 with up to 315 miles range. Prices for the electric Chevy Blazer start at $43,690 with up to 279 miles range.
If you are ready to try out Chevy’s new electric SUVs for yourself, we’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to view offers on the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, and Blazer EV models near you.
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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 non-Tesla EVs getting Supercharger access, Cybertruck sales in the spotlight, Rivian getting some money from Biden, and 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.
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):
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