When it comes to all of the category-defying EVs out there that earn the infamous title of Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle the Week, the utility vehicles might just be my favorite. The ability to simultaneously be super weird and also get work done is an endearing quality, and it’s one that this week’s feature surely embodies. Say “hello!” to the world’s cutest electric dump truck.
It’s hard to say for sure exactly what we’re looking at here.
It appears to be a four-wheeled vehicle with rear wheel drive, a basic ladder frame, and a big ol’ bucket on back connected to a hydraulic ram.
In other words, it’s a super simple dump truck. Though the word “truck” is likely doing some heavy lifting here.
But why butcher the description of this marvelous vehicle when I can let the Alibaba vendor butcher their own description:
“Four wheel dumper truck used for cargo Dump truck is our main product.
It using electric as power source in mining, brickyard, sanitation and cleaning. It has been improved many times with the advantage of large power, long work hours, heavy load and suitable for any road, well received by the customer’s favorite.we have sold our products to United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Chile, Peru, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Mexico, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India and etc.”
Well there you go, folks. It’s their main product, so you know they must be good at it.
There are four versions of the little truck, though the larger versions don’t sound very “little” anymore.
They offer motor power levels of 1 kW, 2 kW, 3 kW and for those that want to go nuts: 7kW.
Weight appears to increase considerably from the 520 kg (1,150 lb) little guy up to that 1,400 kg (3,100 lb) 7,000W beast.
The loading capacity is also quite impressive, with the little guy capable of carrying nearly twice its own weight and the big guy rated for just over twice its own weight. These things are like ants, tiny but mighty!
The tires don’t look particular up to par, at least not if you’re going to be driving through any particularly sandy or rocky work sites. But if your dumping requirements involve a lot of tarmac and smooth surfaces, then I just might have the dump truck for you!
And you have to admit that the thing is pretty cute. Those headlights give it a countenance that is just begging for a little augmentation.
With a paintbrush and a couple minutes, I feel like I could whip up a decent little face to match this thing’s bubbly personality.
But perhaps the best part of this whole ordeal is the price. Somehow they’ve got this listed at $1,950, with discounts for bulk orders bringing the price down to just $1,450.
If you’re wondering how that’s possible, I can tell you from my own experience of ordering weird electric trucks from China that you’ll never get out the door for that price. That’s likely the price without batteries, and a good lithium battery could add 50% to the cost before you even get out of the factory.
Then you’ve got many thousands of dollars in shipping, freight, customs bonds, ISF filings, warehouse fees and more, not to mention paying a customs broker to handle all the import paperwork for you.
In the end, I’d be surprised to see this thing land stateside for under $7-8k, but even that might be a steal compared to what a “real” dump truck costs. For the price of an American-sized ride, you could buy a whole factory of these little dumpers. And by the looks of things, they’re ready to pack several containers full of them for you.
Just remember that the face paint isn’t included.