Weird Alibaba: An electric train set so big you can ride it yourself
I like to say that this weekly column finds the coolest and most fun electric vehicles from China that either drive, float, or fly. But with this entry into the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week, I might need to update that list to include things that locomote by rail.
This just may be my new favorite weird thing I found on Alibaba: a life-sized electric train set.
Well, I guess it’s not technically life-sized, as in it’s not the size of an actual honest-to-goodness train. But it’s big enough that you and your friends can still hop aboard and play out your best hobo life fantasy, riding the rail from coast to coast with nothing but a bindle stick and a dream.
There are seven seats, and the weight limit is up to 500 kg (1,100 lb), which means you could fit several friends, colleagues, or kids’ birthday party participants on one train ride.
The motor is fairly weak at just 200 W (1/4 horsepower), though, so perhaps you shouldn’t try and set the tracks up on any significant incline.
Oh, right, and that’s the other cool thing here. You can actually lay out your own track, just like a real train set! The base model seems to come in a circle, but who wants that boring hunk of garbage? Give me something I can be creative with! I want to design my own little train city here, folks. The options for track shapes are listed as “Round shape, Oval shape, 8 shape, B shape, or as customers’ requirements.” That’s perfect because I’m about to have a lot of requirements, sir.
If I were to buy myself a train set like this, I’d need a whole container full of spare track segments so I can really go to town laying down some serious tracks.
Or maybe I’ll just keep the stack of track pieces on the three carriages in the back, laying down segments as I go in a freestyle runaway train scenario.
At a mere $2,200 for one of the coolest train sets I’ve ever seen, I’m dangerously close to needing to find a lawn somewhere to lay this stuff out. Something tells me my apartment complex isn’t going to appreciate me taking over the lobby.
Of course, that price doesn’t include the container ship full of extra track segments I’m going to require, but how much can that stuff cost? If an entire train costs a couple of Gs, then tracks must be practically free.
And look at how many different train designs they offer. There’s more than just a copyright-infringed Thomas the Tank Engine. There’s a little bit of everything, as long as it’s “cheery.”
Ok, ok. Let’s settle down for a minute here. As much fun as we’re having while enjoying the weirdness of Alibaba, please don’t run off and try to buy this thing.
Yes, I know they’ve got it all packaged up and ready for you. But don’t be like my ill-advised readers and jump in with both feet on a crazy train pipe dream. There’s a lot that can go wrong when buying things sight unseen from China. In fact, there’s perhaps more that can go wrong than can go right.
It’s worked out for me a few times, but the stress and complications of the process have surely shaved a few weeks off of my life expectancy and contributed to no fewer than three more gray hairs in my beard.
For now, let’s just enjoy this weirdness from afar, the way it was meant to be. If you really need to take a ride on an electric toy train, consider hitting up the local birthday party scene.
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Climate XChange’s 9th Annual EV Raffle is your chance to win the electric car of your dreams – from Rivian to Tesla to Porsche and more!
But don’t wait, because there are only 5,000 tickets available!
Imagine getting to custom order your perfect EV, with every detail just the way you want it, up to $120,000, and with all taxes covered. That’s what the Grand Prize Winner gets to do – and you could be that winner.
How it works
Enter at CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek. Every ticket you buy is one entry to win. Climate XChange is only selling 5,000 tickets, which means your odds are better here than most internet sweepstakes! Plus, you can feel good knowing your ticket supports an amazing cause: pushing for state-level climate action and advancing the transition to a zero-emissions economy.
The prizes
- Grand Prize: Custom-built EV of your choice, valued up to $120,000, with all taxes covered.
- 2nd Place: $12,500 cash.
- 3rd Place: $7,500 cash.
- Early Bird Prize: Buy your ticket before December 31, 2024, and you’ll also be entered to win $10,000 on January 3, 2025.
That’s two drawings for the price of one ticket – and four chances to win big!
Why enter?
Climate XChange has been making dreams come true for nearly a decade. Last year’s winner drove off in a custom red Tesla Model X Plaid, and you could be next! Climate XChange takes fairness seriously: It prints every raffle ticket stub and live-streams the entire drawing process, ensuring transparency. Independent auditors oversee everything, so you know the drawing is legit.
Who is Climate XChange?
Climate XChange (CXC) is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to help states transition to a zero-emissions economy. It advances state climate policy through its State Climate Policy Network, connecting over 15,000 advocates and policymakers, and through its State Climate Policy Dashboard, a leading data platform for tracking climate action across the US.
Get your ticket today
Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to grab your ticket. Limited tickets are available – remember, Climate XChange is only selling 5,000 tickets – so don’t miss your shot at an electric future!
Climate XChange EV Raffle rules summary
- Must be 18 or older to enter.
- Tickets are available at CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek.
- Only 5,000 tickets will be sold.
- Early Bird Drawing on January 3, 2025.
- Grand Prize Drawing on February 28, 2025.
All proceeds support Climate XChange’s work to push for ambitious climate policy – so even if you don’t win, you’re still making a difference.
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China just connected its largest single-capacity solar farm built on a former coal mining area, which is in the Gobi Desert, to the grid.
The Mengxi Blue Ocean Photovoltaic Power Station, located in Otog Front Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia, came online on November 5. With a massive installed capacity of 3 gigawatts (GW) and over 5.9 million solar panels, the plant will generate around 5.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough to power 2 million households.
This huge project will save about 1.71 million tons of standard coal each year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 4.7 million tons, which is equivalent to planting 62,700 hectares (around 155,000 acres) of trees.
Built on coal mining subsidence land, Mengxi Blue Ocean is part of China’s national West-East Electricity Transfer Project, which brings investment and development to western China west while supplying the growing need for electricity in the eastern provinces.
The solar farm includes the country’s first large-scale outdoor solar testing base in the Gobi Desert climate, demonstrating the potential for large solar installations in challenging environments.
The power station makes use of new rare earth alloy grounding materials, cutting costs by 40%. It also replaces traditional concrete foundations with steel to minimize impact on the local grassland ecosystem.
Chuang Xihong, deputy director of the Engineering Construction Department of Guodian Power Group, CHN Energy’s parent company, explained that Mengxi Blue Ocean is an agrivoltaic project as well [via PV Tech]:
Fine forage and sand-fixing plants are planted under the PV modules, providing grazing for Australian White Sheep and chickens. A composite ecological development model will be established where PV power generation and breeding will go hand in hand.
Read more: China powers up the world’s largest open-sea offshore solar farm
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