Weird Alibaba: This cute little Chinese EV is the world’s smallest box truck
Box trucks are convenient for when you have to move a large amount of cargo around. But what if only you need to lug around a small amount of cargo, yet don’t want to give up your U-Haul vibes? That’s when you’ll want to call on the world’s smallest box truck, which just happens to be perfect for this week’s edition of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week.
Sure, an electric cargo bike is probably going to be a better solution for nearly anything this little trucklet needs to carry.
But then again, an e-bike can’t keep your dry or prevent you from tipping over at stops without putting your feet down.
And so while it might look a bit silly, there just may be something to this cute little electric box truck.
First of all, I love the design. Where a jewelry box clasp would probably suffice, they’ve got a container truck style door locking mechanism on back to show that they mean businesses.
There are some fairly comfortable looking captain’s chairs in some of the examples, and you even get a full light package along with windshield wiper. That’s probably a good feature to have since you likely won’t be going fast enough to blast the water off the windshield by air alone.
Technically the top speed is listed as 30 km/h (18 mph). But I’m guessing that the little 1.1 kW (1.5 horsepower) motor isn’t going to get you up to top speed very quickly.
But then again, this wasn’t built for cruising fast. It was made for hauling. Though I’m not sure it is even ready for that job since the cargo box isn’t even 1 meter (3 feet) long. Let’s just say that if you’re planning to move apartments and U-Haul offers you this thing, you better plan for the full day rental.
Actually, you might want to inquire about the weekly rate. The small 2.4 kWh lead acid battery isn’t going to last for too many cross town trips, so there’s going to be a significant mid-day recharge stop in your future.
I’d say you could add solar panels to the roof, but I might be a bit optimistic with the plural there. A single solar panel might be a tight fit.
Just because this little box truck isn’t a high performance vehicle doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to love. Look at how customizable it is and how many different variations they have!
In addition to a standard (tiny) box truck, they can also make it into the world’s smallest container truck. They even have a tiny electric fire truck that’s even smaller than our last little watergun on wheels.
And with a price of just $2,680, our tiny truck is surprisingly affordable! Of course that’s before the many thousands of dollars you’ll pay in addition to the sticker price that go towards importing, customs, transportation and other charges.
I’ve learned about those the hard way on my own mini-truck imports before. But for the right type of truck driver, it might all be worth it to have such a unique vehicle on the road.
In all seriousness though, I don’t recommend trying to mail order a tiny box truck for yourself. Not only is it in no way street legal in the West, but there’s a question to whether or not it’d even show up. Best to do as I say, and not as I do.
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Tesla’s Q2 results are in, and they are way, way down from Q2 of 2024. At the same time, Nissan seems to be in serious trouble and the first-ever all-electric Dodge muscle car is getting recalled because its dumb engine noises are the wrong kind of dumb engine noises. All this and more on today’s deeply troubled episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got an awesome article from Micah Toll about a hitherto unexplored genre of electric lawn equipment, a $440 million mining equipment deal, and a list of incompetent, corrupt, and stupid politicians who voted away their constituents’ futures to line their pockets.
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OpenAI is distancing itself from Robinhood‘s latest crypto push after the trading platform began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe.
“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”
The company said that “any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer,” and warned users to “please be careful.”
Robinhood announced the launch Monday from Cannes, France, as part of a broader product showcase focused on tokenized equities, staking, and a new blockchain infrastructure play. The company’s stock surged above $100 to hit a new all-time high following the news.
“These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood’s ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle,” a Robinhood spokesperson said in response to the OpenAI post.
Robinhood offered 5 euros worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to eligible EU users who signed up to trade stock tokens by July 7. The assets are issued under the EU’s looser investor restrictions via Robinhood’s crypto platform.
“This is about expanding access,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and GM of crypto. “The goal with tokenization is to let anyone participate in this economy.”
The episode highlights the dynamic between crypto platforms seeking to democratize access to financial products and the companies whose names and equity are being represented on-chain
U.S. users cannot access these tokens due to regulatory restrictions.
Despite the warnings, BYD continues introducing new discounts. On Wednesday, BYD’s luxury off-road brand began offering over 50% Huawei’s smart driving tech.
BYD introduces new discounts on smart driving tech
After BYD cut prices again in May, the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) warned that the ultra-low prices are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”
Although they didn’t single out BYD, it was pretty obvious. BYD slashed prices across 22 of its vehicles by up to 34%, triggering several automakers to follow suit in China.
BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, typically starts at about $10,000 (66,800 yuan). After the price cuts, the Seagull is listed at under $8,000 (55,800 yuan).
It doesn’t look like China’s EV leader plans to slow down anytime soon. Fang Cheng Bao, BYD’s luxury off-road brand, introduced new discounts on Huawei’s smart driving tech on Wednesday.
The limited-time offer cuts the price of Huawei’s Qiankun Intelligent Driving High-end Function Package to just 12,000 yuan ($1,700).
Buyers who order the smart driving tech in July will save over 50% compared to its typical price of 32,000 yuan ($4,500).
Earlier this year, Fang Chang Bao launched the Tai 3, its most affordable vehicle, starting at 139,800 yuan ($19,300). The Tai 3 is about the size of the Tesla Model Y, but costs about half as much.
The Tai 3 will spearhead a new sub-brand of electric SUVs following the more premium Bao 8 and Bao 5 hybrid SUVs.
BYD’s luxury off-road brand sold 18,903 vehicles last month, up 50% from May and 605% compared to last year. Fang Cheng Bao has now sold over 10,000 vehicles for three consecutive months.
The Chinese EV giant sold 382,585 vehicles in total in June, an increase of 12% from last year. In the first half of the year, BYD’s cumulative sales reached over 2.1 million, a YOY increase of 33%.
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