This $40,000 Alibaba drone can carry a passenger, but would you risk it?
When I first got into flying quadcopters (back when they were still called quadcopters), I would sometimes imagine what it would be like to shrink myself down Rick Moranis-style and hop aboard. But now thanks to some enterprising Chinese engineers – or perhaps garage tinkerers – I don’t have to imagine it anymore. Instead of shrinking the passengers down, they’ve scaled up the entire drone and added a pilot’s chair.
Now the only question is, how brave are you?
Most of the fun electric vehicles I find for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column seem largely harmless. Most are lumbering and underpowered, with the biggest danger likely being getting cut on an unfinished corner somewhere.
But this is one of the few times where I might not actually volunteer to hop on one of these vehicles myself, mostly out of a healthy sense of self-preservation.
There’s just something about getting into a mail-order aircraft that has “nope” written all over it for me. But if you’re willing to give it a try and you weigh under 100 kg or 220 lb (including your apparently massive coin purse, and I’m not talking about your wallet), then for a mere $39,000 you could have one of these on the way from China.
Or at least, you could have one out the door of the factory. However much extra it costs to ship, insure, receive in the port, clear customs – if that’s even possible, plus brokers fees and local trucking, well that’s all on you as well.
This isn’t the first man-carrying drone we’ve seen in this column. We’ve even gotten a bit creative to get a person up in the air under a drone. But the way the model is hanging onto this drone’s frame for dear life before it’s even left the ground, well that has me an extra bit worried.
The pilotable drone (is it a drone if there’s a pilot in it?) claims an operating ceiling of 120 meters or around 400 feet. I’m not sure why it couldn’t go higher, as it seems like once you’re counting your altitude with triple digits, you’ve basically maxed out the risk already.
Climbing speed is decently quick too, at around 1-2 m/s, meaning you could hit that max altitude in just a minute or two.
The operating speed is a bit faster, clocking in at 10 m/s, or around 22 mph.
Somewhat comically, the only control method is via remote control. That means either you could carry the controller with you and fly like you’re in a video game, or you could let a friend on the ground zip you around. For the latter, I’m not sure what the maximum range of the remote control is, but I suggest you treat that figure with the utmost respect.
I’m also not sure how you’d go about reconnecting that signal on the way down, though I guess you’d have the rest of your life to figure it out.
I wish we had a bit more info on the technical specs. We know it runs on 24s (roughly 88V) lipo batteries, which are the standard chemistry in the RC industry, though are also the most likely to end in a blaze of glory. But we don’t have any info on the motors or controllers.
The limited spec sheet does inform us that the entire thing weighs 220 kg (485 lb), which is frankly more than I was expecting.
Other than a max flight time of 30 minutes, which is around 29 and a half minutes more than I’d care to spend in the thing, the rest of the device is largely a mystery.
So, while it’s kind of awesome that something like this exists, let me end with my typical disclaimer to please don’t buy this. I’m not even sure it’s legal in most areas, let alone all the questions about safety.
There are better ways to blow $40k, like with 40 awesome Chinese electric boats.
Let’s leave these kinds of gravity-defying contraptions where they belong, which is the magical place known as Alibaba’s catalog of weird and awesome EVs.
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We are finally getting a look at Kia’s sporty new electric SUV. With starting prices under $30,000, the 2025 Kia EV5 GT Line looks ready to compete with the best in China.
Kia unveils the new 2025 EV5 GT Line electric SUV
Kia unveiled the new 2025 EV5 GT Line at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show, giving the already impressive electric SUV a stylish upgrade.
After introducing the EV5 last summer, Kia claimed it “brings a new era of electric mobility to the compact SUV sector.” The smaller electric SUV includes much of the advanced new tech and software in Kia’s flagship EV9 but in a more affordable package.
At 4,615 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,715 mm tall, the EV5 is a direct rival to Tesla’s Model Y (4,760 mm long x 1,921 mm wide x 1,624 mm tall).
Kia launched the EV5 in China last November, starting at just $21,000 (149,800 yuan), undercutting top-selling rivals like the Tesla Model Y.
Powered by a BYD Blade battery, the base EV5 is rated with 329 miles (530 km) CLTC range. The longer-range model, with an 88.1 kWh battery, gets up to 447 miles (720 km) CLTC range.
Now, we are finally getting a look at the upgraded 2025 EV5 GT Line model. As you can see, the GT Line treatment includes a sleek blacked-out exterior design with 20″ aluminum alloy wheels.
The AWD powertrain boasts up to 316 hp (233) kW for a 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/hr) sprint in about six seconds. Kia’s new GT Line model gets up to 360 miles (580 km) CLTC driving range with fast charging (30% to 80%) in 27 minutes.
Kia upgraded the interior with a leather-wrapped two-tone steering wheel and other blacked-out elements. It also includes Kia’s next-gen ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ center and driver display screens.
What do you think of the new EV5 GT Line? Should Kia launch it in the US? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Source: TheKoreanCarBlog, AutoSpy
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As part of Zero Motorcycles’ new approach to affordability, the California electric motorcycle maker is increasingly relying on strategic partnerships in the industry to help lower costs and leverage production experience. Now we’re getting word that one of the company’s key partners, Hero MotoCorp, is closing in on its first Zero-enabled electric motorcycle model.
It’s giving a whole new meaning to “from Zero to Hero.”
Last year, Zero joined forces with India’s largest motorcycle maker, Hero MotoCorp, to develop a new electric motorcycle model. Zero obviously eyed Hero’s massive manufacturing footprint and decades of production experience, and it looks like that partnership is closer than ever to revealing the fruits of its labor.
“As far as EV motorcycles, as we have talked about, that we are developing in partnership with Zero Motorcycles. And that’s something that while we have not given out the timeline, but the work is in progress. And it will be coming in the middle-weight segment. I would say it’s in the advanced stage. We haven’t announced the timeline as yet, but we would be looking at something which would not be too far off,” explained Hero MotoCorp CEO Niranjan Gupta during the company’s Q2 earnings call with analysts.
While targeting the more sought-after middleweight market, Hero confirmed that the company would also produce a version for the more performance end of the motorcycling market.
Hero has massive production chops to its name, but the company is relatively inexperienced with electric two-wheelers. Hero has just two models of electric scooters currently available under its Vida brand, and no fully-fledged electric motorcycles of the style for which Zero is known.
Zero and Hero have yet to provide specifics about where such a motorcycle might land in the international market, but recent moves by the company could provide a few clues.
Last month, Zero announced that it had partnered with Chinese motorcycle maker Zongshen to produce its new Zero XE and XB electric motorcycles. The move comes as part of Zero’s recently announced “All Access” initiative, which is built around adding more affordable models to the Zero lineup. Priced at just US $6,494 and $4,195, the Zero XE and XB are the most affordable Zero bikes we’ve seen yet.
There’s more where those came from, too. Zero claims that it will have six unique models, all priced at under US $10,000, in the next two years.
Based on the advanced state of the Hero partnership bike, it’s likely that such a model could be revealed as part of Zero’s All Access program.
via Fortune
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California has proposed offering $7,500 state EV tax rebates to residents if Trump kills the federal EV tax credit, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced today.
Trump has repeatedly said that he would eliminate the $7,500 EV tax credit for new vehicles and $4,000 for used vehicles created by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act if he won the election.
In response, Newsom today proposed creating a new version of the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which launched in 2010 and was phased out in 2023. California started with a $5,000 rebate for EVs and increased to $7,500. During its lifetime, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program funded more than 594,000 vehicles and saved more than 456 million gallons of fuel.
Newsom’s announcement says that funding for the state EV tax rebates could come from the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which is funded by polluters under the state’s cap-and-trade program.”
Newsom said in a statement:
We will intervene if the Trump administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California.
We’re not turning back on a clean transportation future – we’re going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don’t pollute.
Newsom’s announcement didn’t say how the rebates would work, but he’s expected to share more details during an appearance today. The governor would need the backing of the state legislature to revive the rebate program.
California continues to lead the US in zero emissions vehicle adoption, surpassing 2 million electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen-powered vehicles sold across the state. By 2035, all new cars and light trucks sold in California must be zero-emissions vehicles, along with 50% of all new heavy trucks.
Read more: New CA smart grid law will help solar and fix the grid by… simply replacing wires
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