Although Alibaba might be the last place one may want to go to purchase an electric vehicle, the array of variety and cheap offerings prove to be a natural selling point. While you might be waiting several months for the product's delivery, it's often interesting and worth it to see just what the Chinese eCommerce site has to offer in its catalog of electric vehicles. After all, the firm's own EV production arm, IM Motors, is chasing after the likes of Xiaomi, Baidu, and even Huawei.
The assortment of offerings on Alibaba tends more often than not to lean in the direction of extremely wacky and unconventional. Take, for instance, this 2021 article by Newsweek, which features an electrified version of the classic Ford Model T. Essentially, the sky's the limit for what consumers may expect among Alibaba electric vehicles.
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However, one such product stands out among the rest not merely in terms of its weirdness but also due largely to its rather inexpensive price point. Considered the world's smallest taco delivery truck, this new entry among strange Alibaba EV offerings is more akin to a tricycle with a large trunk fitted onto its backend. That doesn't mean it isn't awesome.
At $2,000, the so-called "Fast Food Delivery Three Wheel Semi Closed Scooter," according to the Alibaba product page, is an interesting find given its size. The scooter without the battery weighs about 105kgs and sports an 800W motor. It has a max speed of 38 km h (23 mph) and can reach a whopping 100 km (62 miles) on a 72V 4,176 Wh lead acid battery pack. Consumers can even tack on their own customized logo if they want.
Even if the taco trike's base specs aren't good enough, consumers could add on their own personal upgrades, like a whole new battery packet, wheels, and even solar panels, if they liked. The question, however, remains on what exactly buyers would use this for beyond the intended purpose of fast food delivery. It could be quite an awesome golf cart. It even boasts "all-terrain parking" capabilities, so you really don't have to worry about bringing this bad boy to the dirt rally.
It comes in a variety of different colors and even leverages "rainproof rubber." The storage box in the back can fit a rated load of around 150 kgs (330 lbs), which is quite a few pizzas and then some. As mentioned previously, however, the shipping will take about a month to get to the US, so you will have to rely on other means of transport before it arrives. It may not be among Alibaba's cheapest electric cars, but it looks fun and sporty in its tricycle form.
Alibaba EVs have been on the site for quite some time, picking up steam around January 2021. They offer a somewhat affordable option for those looking to get the best bang for their buck for the right task at hand, and although very few may be delivering pizzas or any other assorted fast food options in this electric tricycle, it still offers one of the most interesting and hilarious means of transportation about town.