Ah yes, good ol’ Alibaba. It’s the place to go whenever you want to see just how weird and wild the world of Chinese electric vehicles has become. It’s all fun and games to laugh and enjoy the weirdness, though it’s important to remember that China actually leads the world in real electric vehicles, too. But we’re not here for those boring things. We’re here to see a full-size bug-eyed electric bus shaped like a fish, and at the cost of a couple car payments in the US.
At 920 kg (2,090 lb), this 14-seater weighs less than almost any two-seater out there. I guess there just isn’t much to it other than a ladder frame, some orange plastic body panels, and a battery bank. When you don’t need to worry about doors or crumples zones, I guess you can save a few pounds. But then again, it’s only 4.7 meters (15 feet) long, so it would actually fit in the same parking space as most family cars.
The seller seems to be playing rather coy with some of the most important specs, such as the power and speed. But having been around the Alibaba block a time or two (in some weird vehicles, I might add), I can pretty much guarantee you this bus is rocking a 4 kW or less motor and tops out at no more than 20-ish mph (32 km/h).
But hey, that’s fine by me. When you’ve got a bus that looks this good, you don’t want to speed around in it. You want to take your time and cruise by slowly enough that onlookers can get a real good look. What’s the point in having an extra 13 seats if not for picking up chicks along the way?
Now THAT’S what I call a whale tail!
The truly crazy thing here though isn’t just how cool this bus looks, or even the fine line they’re dancing across with the whole Nemo design thing. It’s the price.
If you’re prepared to shell out for more than one of these buses, the price is just US $3,590! Buying a single unit as a sample carries a much higher price, to the tune of $9,980. At that price, you might as well buy two and spend less cash!
Of course, then you’ve got to pay for a larger 40 ft shipping container. And then there’s the small wrinkle of not being allowed to bring any number of these into the US due to them not being street-legal. But hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?!
Just a small disclaimer: As usual, please keep in mind that these Alibaba dumpster-diving posts are meant to be taken in good fun, not as advice to actually try to buy one of these wild vehicles.
I have no idea if the factory even truly makes these, or whether they just rolled four awesome buses off the line and snapped pics. Then there’s no guarantee that you won’t spend more on importing costs than the entire cost of the vehicle. In fact, I can almost guarantee you the importing costs are twice the cost of the vehicle – at a minimum. And as I mentioned, you’re not allowed to even bring these into most countries anyway.
So let’s just enjoy this beautiful bus from the safe distance of the internet, shall we?
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Tesla started a dick measuring contest with Waymo, and it is losing. The Alphabet company is expanding its service area in Austin beyond Tesla’s recently updated penis-shaped service area.
Waymo is taking a few shots at Tesla in the announcement, too.
Last month, Tesla launched its ‘Robotaxi’ service in Austin.
As we have often reported in the last few months, the service is primarily for optics after years of being wrong about Tesla launching unsupervised self-driving in its consumer vehicles, CEO Elon Musk needed a “win” and therefore, Tesla launched a limited service in a small area of Austin, Texas with Tesla employees being in the cars at all-times ready to stop the vehicles.
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The service falls short of the promise that all Tesla vehicles built since 2016 would achieve unsupervised self-driving capabilities, and it’s also not comparable to Waymo’s service, which operates in Austin and several other cities without supervisors inside the vehicles.
Despite the situation, Tesla shareholders are hoping that the automaker is going to be able to scale faster than Waymo and eventually catch up.
They claimed victory when Tesla expanded its service area in Austin this week, but we noted that the expansion, which Tesla intentially made penis-shaped without any practical benefit, did more to illustrate the seriousness of the effort than anything else.
With the joke, Tesla inadvertently start a dick measuring context that it is now losing.
Today, Waymo announced its own service area expansion in Austin and it now covers 90 square miles:
After a successful four months serving riders together, Waymo and Uber are expanding our service territory in Austin – spanning North Austin to South Austin. Starting tomorrow, riders can take fully autonomous rides across 90 square miles of the city, including new neighborhoods like Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley Franklin Park, and more, as well as popular destinations like The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park.
Waymo’s service area (blue) is now much bigger than Tesla’s (black):
But more importantly, Waymo’s service operates completely autonomously without any supervisor with a finger on a killswitch inside the vehicle like Tesla.
Waymo is well aware of the difference and poke Tesla in its announcement of the service area expansion:
We’re proud to offer the only fully autonomous, 24/7 experience for anyone in Austin, and are excited to offer more destinations across the city – no waitlists or caveats. In Austin, customers have been enjoying their experience, giving their Waymo trips 4.9 out of 5 on average. There are more than 100 Waymo vehicles on Uber in Austin, and that number will continually grow to hundreds over time.
By “fully autonomous”, Waymo means that it doesn’t have employees inside the vehicles. It also mentions “24/7” as Tesla’s service closes at midnight and also doesn’t operate in some weather conditions.
Waymo now serves more than 700 sq mi across the US, and it continues to expand fast.
Electrek’s Take
Waymo keeps doing its thing. It’s going to take some time, but at one point, Tesla shareholders are going to have to admit that Tesla has the same limitations in expanding its robotaxi service as Waymo does.
The main difference is that Waymo is already way ahead as it completed the phase with in-car supervisors years ago and already operates in a 10x bigger area than Tesla in the US.
It also has about 100x more vehicles.
The idea that Tesla will catch up by mid next year, which is what CEO Elon Musk claimed, is completely ludicrous.
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Our readers can score EcoFlow’s most expansive DELTA Pro Ultra station with $2,038 in exclusive savings to new $3,761 low
We’ve secured a great new exclusive deal from Wellbots for our readers on the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra Portable Power Station for $3,761.10 shipped, after using the exclusive code 9TO5DPU10 at checkout. While it normally goes for $6,098 in full direct from EcoFlow, its starting rate at Wellbots is lower at $5,799. We last secured a similar exclusive cut to $3,799 back in April, which is getting beaten out by the combined $2,038 markdown here, landing down at a new all-time low price for this expansive whole-home backup solution from one of the most popular brands in the game.
EcoFlow’s DELTA Pro Ultra power station is the brand’s best option to gain whole-home backup support due to its modular design that allows you to bolster its capabilities with expansion over time. This unit starts with a 6.1kWh LiFePO4 battery capacity and max 7,200W output ability, which can be expanded upon with added equipment up to a massive 90kWh capacity and 21.6kW output. For context on what this starting setup can do – you’ll get up to two days of essential appliance backup power, which can climb up to 15 straight days when its been invested into a full expanded setup – and that’s not even taking solar charging equipment into mind, which only extends its coverage for even longer with regular sunlight exposure. There’s also the smart home integration that comes once you’ve added the brand’s Smart Home Panel 2 to your home setup, allowing for smart power analysis and roof panel connections.
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The DELTA Pro Ultra station’s solar input is also an expandable feature, as it can go from 5.6kW to 16.8kW, or you can recharge it to full via a wall outlet in just two hours, while also having hook-ups for EV piles and generators too. As a note for future plans, investing in its fully expanded system (three Ultra Pro stations + expansion batteries) while also having the maximum solar setup recharging it would give you the power you need to run your entire home for a single day off just one hour of sunny conditions. It also comes with a dust-proof and splash-proof IP54 construction, as well as the durability to stand against severe temperatures from -4 degrees to 113 degrees, making it ready for travel plans to campsites, on RVs, and more.
Don’t miss Rad Power’s space-saving RadExpand 5 folding e-bike while at its $999 low
As part of Rad Power’s extended Prime Day promotions running through July 23, which include the ongoing second-ever savings on its new Radster Road Commuter and Radster Trail Off-Road e-bikes, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the continued low pricing on its RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike at $999 shipped. Before June saw the pricing come down this low, it was regularly keeping to its $1,599 full price and only dropping regularly to $1,299 during sales. Of course, since Father’s Day, we’ve been seeing this massive $600 markdown hang on so fans can score it at the best price to date, giving you a solid commuting option and versatile utility companion for errands and such.
Save up to 59% on four EcoFlow flash bundles like the DELTA 2 Max with alternator charger and bag at $1,049 low
As part of its ongoing Phase 3 Prime Day Sale, EcoFlow has launched the last of its 48-hour flash sales that are taking up to 59% off four different bundle offers. Among the units we’re seeing included – three of which give you power stations and one allows you to expand an existing setup – things start with the DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station bundle that includes an 800W Alternator Charger and a free protective bag for the station at $1,049 shipped, which you won’t currently find in stock at Amazon. It’s coming down from its full $2,577 price tag, with this same flash offers having appeared in last week’s Phase 2 Sale. Through July 18, you’ll have another chance at the biggest savings of $1,528, landing the costs back at the best price we have tracked. Head below for more on this bundle and the others we’re seeing discounted in this sale.
If you want to learn more about this power station’s capabilities, as well as the three other flash offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of the sale here.
You’ll get 14.5-feet of reach with Greenworks’ 80V 10-inch cordless pole saw at $218 (Today only)
As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is offering the Greenworks 80V 10-inch Cordless Pole Saw for $217.99 shipped, which currently beats out Amazon where it’s sitting at full price. Normally going for $300, for the rest of the day, you can pick it up here with $82 taken off the tag. After spending January and the first half of February at $225, we’ve mainly seen discounts dropping the costs between $240 and $270 since then, with last week’s Prime Day event dropping things to $220. While we have seen it go lower in the past, you’re looking at a solid 27% markdown to one of the lowest prices we’ve spotted this year.
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.
American automaker Rivian has shared its second release outlining expanded offices this week. Earlier today, Rivian shared plans for a new East Coast Headquarters coming to Atlanta, Georgia. The headquarters will operate near its massive new EV production facility being erected outside the city.
We’re almost having déjà vu on the Rivian news beat this week.
Just yesterday, we shared news that Rivian was planning to open a new international office in London, UK, which will become an AI-centric development hub.
At the time, we pointed out that Rivian currently operates out of a headquarters in Palo Alto, California, alongside its main production facility located in Normal, Illinois. Furthermore, the American automaker is currently in the process of building a second production footprint capable of housing 7,500 employees, located about 40 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
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Other US locations currently include offices in Irvine and Carson, CA, Wittmann, AZ, and Plymouth, MI. Outside of the US, Rivian operates out of offices in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Belgrade, Serbia.
Today, Rivian announced a further investment in Georgia, making Atlanta the new home of its East Coast Headquarters.
Rending of Rivian’s future East Coast headquarters / Source: Rivian
Rivian’s new headquarters to open in late 2025
Rivian’s second headquarters was announced this afternoon alongside Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
The new office space, which is expected to support 500 employees, will occupy the lobby and top floor of the Junction Krog District building, located at 667 Auburn Ave NE, near the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline. The new headquarters will enable Rivian to operate closer to its pending production facility in Stanton Springs North, outside Atlanta.
With a growing footprint and investment in the Peach State, Rivian has already shared intentions to develop relationships and partnerships with universities, technical colleges, and local, regional, and state institutions. Governor Kemp spoke:
Georgia is a prime location for any company headquarters, and we’re glad to see Rivian will soon join the growing list of brands not only operating in our state but also wholly or partially based in our capital city. They recognize the unmatched value of Georgia’s talent and the location of their East Coast Headquarters in Atlanta is the latest demonstration of their commitment to the Peach State. I look forward to that commitment translating to new jobs and opportunities for hardworking Georgians.
Per Rivian, the new East Coast Headquarters is expected to officially open in late 2025 and employ around 100 people before expanding to 500 employees when fully built and operational.
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