This awesome Chinese golf cart looks more like a mini-electric jeep
My regular readers will know that I’ve got quite a thing for golf carts. They’ll also know that I write a regular weekly column finding the coolest (and sometimes weirdest) electric vehicles in the massive online shopping catalog that is Alibaba. So when those things collide, well that’s what we call serendipity, folks! And that’s exactly what’s happened this week with the discovery of this fun jeep-like electric golf cart!
It’s not the weirdest thing we’ve ever seen in the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column, but it certainly does look like something that would turn heads in your neighborhood.
That’s because unlike the Club Car golf carts at the local gated retirement village, this bad boy looks more like a mini-jeep, or even a Moke-style vehicle.
It may have a bit of a comical countenance, but don’t judge this buggy by its face. What’s under the hood is actually fairly impressive.
The mini-jeep thing is powered by a 5 kW continuous-rated electric motor, which is actually more powerful than my 3 kW electric mini-truck that I use to tow my 5-seater boat. That 5 kW motor even enables regenerative braking, making this golf cart extra efficient.
The battery is big enough though that efficiency might not be that important. Under the front seat sits an utterly massive 9.2 kWh battery. The company says it is enough for a claimed 100 km (62 miles) of range but I suspect that the range could be even higher. Considering the top speed is only 50 km/h (31 mph), you’re just not going to be draining that battery very quickly.
And to make things even sweeter, that battery is a LiFePO4 unit, meaning it will last more than twice as long as most other Li-ion batteries. It also has the added benefit of being essentially fireproof.
Speaking of imperviousness to the elements of nature, the powerful charger is listed as waterproof. On the face of things, that sounds a bit odd. It’s not like my first thought when the rain starts coming down is “Oh goodness, I better run out in this downpour with an extension cord in my hand to plug in my electric golf cart!”
But hey, I’m not going to complain about parts being overly ruggedized or waterproofed!
Plus the electric golf cart even comes with a “humanized” electric instrument panel and thee-point seat belts. I only know what one of those two things is, but I’ll take ’em both!
And all of this is available for just a measly $9,998! Which, now that I think about it, isn’t really that cheap since most golf carts in the US cost that much anyway.
But of course then you’ll have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars in import taxes, tariffs, arrival charges, broker fees, customs fees, and of course sea freight to literally bring it over on the slow boat from China. So you’ll want to factor that into the price.
If you’re worrying about shipping, perhaps thinking “How could they possibly send this to me halfway around the world without scratching the paint?”, then don’t worry. This isn’t their first rodeo and they’ve got things covered, literally. The vehicle comes with its very own sheet of foam wrapping so you can rest assured that your new pride of a buggy will arrive with its shiny paint job intact.
Some real talk about Alibaba
As usual, let me add a little disclaimer here: It’s fun to window shop for all of these fun and weird vehicles online. But I don’t recommend anyone actually try to order one. Sure, I’ve done it myself several times. And a few people have followed in my footsteps. But it’s a major risk and you never know if you’re going to get ripped off, either on purpose or on accident.
While most of my purchases have gone well, I finally had my own horror story occur on a recent major purchase (which just happened to be my most expensive Alibaba purchase to date). The long story short is that what showed up in the 2,300 lb shipping crate is most certainly not what I paid a large sum of money for, but that’s another story coming for another day.
Suffice it to say that we should all enjoy looking at these fun and weird things, but I’m not suggesting anyone actually open their wallet.
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Rivian (RIVN) plans to launch a new Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) this year to enable hands-free driving. The new feature is expected to be similar to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD). In 2026, Rivian will up the ante with an “eyes-free” system.
Rivian plans hands-free driving in 2025, eyes-free in 2026
At the new Rivian Space opening in San Francisco on Thursday, CEO RJ Scaringe revealed a few exciting developments to look forward to.
According to the folks at RivianForums, Scaringe said during the event that the company plans to launch a hands-free ADAS feature in 2025. Next year, Rivian will follow it up with an “eyes-free” system.
The big question is, will current Rivian R1S and R1T owners gain access? It could depend on whether you drive a Gen 1 or Gen 2 model. All Rivian models built through 2024 are considered Gen 1, while models 2025 and newer are Gen 2.
Rivian introduced the second-generation R1S and R1T last summer. They were “completely reengineered” with hundreds of hardware improvements, fully redesigned software, and more.
The upgrades include its new in-house autonomy system, Rivian Autonomy Platform. It’s powered by 11 cameras, five radars, and predictive AI.
Rivian said the new platform is “10 times more powerful” than the old system. It also features 360-degree visibility with 8X the number of camera pixels than the previous models. Gen 2 models already include features like Blind Spot Monitoring and Highway Assist.
With the premium version, drivers gain access to Lane Change, while Rivian said Enhanced Highway Assist and other features were coming soon.
Although all Rivian R1S and R1T EVs include OTA updates, some features may require additional hardware or software not included on Gen 1 models.
Rivian hands-free and attention-free autonomous highway driving will be available on the upcoming R2 model. The smaller electric SUV is due out in the first half of 2026, starting at around $45,000.
Electrek’s Take
As a Tesla Model 3 driver, I can tell you that Full-Self Driving (FSD) is fun and can be helpful at times. I’ve used it on longer trips, like through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it makes driving or sitting in the car a little more enjoyable.
Although the system still requires you to pay attention, it enables the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with “minimal driver intervention.”
The new Actually Smart Summon feature is one of my favorites. Through the Tesla app, you can summon your vehicle to come to you in a parking lot. The vehicle will then move around other cars, people, and objects to find you.
Other functions, like Navigate on Autopilot, will take over while the vehicle is on the highway, changing lanes (with turn signals) and braking or accelerating as needed.
For Rivian owners, it would be like an upgraded system from Highway and Lane Change Assist. The “eyes-free” system coming next year will likely have a few regulatory hurdles to pass before it rolls out, so it should be interesting to see what that will consist of. Check back for more info soon. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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The United Arab Emirates is building the world’s largest solar and battery storage project that will dispatch clean energy 24/7.
Emirati Renewable energy company Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) are developing the trailblazing solar and battery storage project. Once it’s online, will become the largest combined solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) in the world.
Located in Abu Dhabi, the project will feature a 5.2 GW solar PV plant coupled with a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) BESS.
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, minister of industry and advanced technology and chairman of Masdar, said:
For decades, the biggest barrier facing renewable energy has been intermittency – to be able to source uninterrupted clean power day and night.
In collaboration with EWEC and our partners, we will develop a renewable energy facility capable of providing clean energy round the clock.
For the first time ever, this will transform renewable energy into a world-leading 1 GW of reliable baseload energy every day on an unprecedented scale – a first step that could become a giant leap for the world.
Masdar announced China’s JA Solar and Jinko Solar, two of the world’s largest solar panel suppliers, and Chinese battery and BESS giant CATL as preferred suppliers. JA Solar and Jinko Solar will supply 2.6 GW of solar panels each. India’s Larsen & Toubro and POWERCHINA have been selected as preferred engineering, procurement, and construction contractors.
Masdar says the project will create 10,000 jobs and doesn’t yet indicate a projected completion date.
Read more: China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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U.S. President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on cryptocurrencies in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Jan. 23, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to promote the advancement of cryptocurrencies in the U.S. and to work toward potentially developing a national digital asset stockpile.
Venture capitalist David Sacks, who Trump tapped as his crypto and artificial intelligence czar, joined Trump in the Oval Office for the signing of the order.
“The digital asset industry plays a crucial role in innovation and economic development in the United States, as well as our Nation’s international leadership,” the order states.
Trump, who was a crypto critic in his first administration, changed his tune on the campaign trail and attracted hefty contributions from the industry after a tumultuous four years under then-President Joe Biden. Crypto investors, companies and executives accounted for almost half of corporate donations in the 2024 election cycle, with some contributing tens of millions of dollars to help Trump win a second term in office.
Most of the order focuses on establishing technology and rules around crypto and its development in the U.S. One of the critical pieces is the creation of a working group to consider a national digital asset stockpile, “potentially derived from cryptocurrencies lawfully seized by the Federal Government through its law enforcement effort.”
Historically, the U.S. Marshals Service has auctioned off seized bitcoin, along with other cryptocurrencies such as ether and litecoin. Trump promised on the campaign trail that if he returned to the White House, he would ensure the federal government never sells off its bitcoin holdings, though Thursday’s order does not mention bitcoin.
“If I am elected, it will be the policy of my administration, United States of America, to keep 100% of all the bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds or acquires into the future,” he said in July in a keynote at the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
The order goes on to outline other key priorities for the digital asset industry, including protecting individuals and private sector companies that use blockchain networks from “persecution.” The document spells out certain protections for developers and miners, noting that they should be able to freely “develop and deploy software” as well as “participate in mining and validating,” a nod to the technicians securing the bitcoin network.
The president has also pledged to defend the rights of those who choose to self-custody their digital assets. That means they do not rely on a centralized entity such as Coinbase to hold their tokens and instead use personal crypto wallets, which are sometimes outside the reach of the Internal Revenue Service.
The order emphasizes promoting the sovereignty of the U.S. dollar by supporting the growth of legitimate, dollar-backed stablecoins globally.
Since his victory in November, Trump has focused on appointing government leaders who support the cryptocurrency sector.
Paul Atkins has been nominated to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins, a former SEC commissioner, is known for advocating market-friendly policies and opposing heavy-handed regulation. If confirmed, he will succeed Gary Gensler, whose aggressive enforcement of crypto regulations made him a divisive figure in the industry.
Earlier this week, the SEC announced the formation of a new “crypto task force,” to be led by Commissioner Hester Peirce. Dubbed “Crypto Mom” for her outspoken support of digital currencies, Peirce has long championed a regulatory framework that fosters innovation rather than hindering it.
Scott Bessent, a pro-crypto hedge fund manager, is Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury Department. Bessent attended the Crypto Ball on Friday in Washington, an event that brought together lawmakers, cabinet appointees and industry leaders and underscored the administration’s plan to make the U.S. a global leader in digital asset innovation.
Sacks told the crowd at the packed Mellon Auditorium on Friday night that “the war on crypto is over.”
“This is just the beginning of America reclaiming its position as the world’s innovation leader,” Sacks said.
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