Weird Alibaba: This cute little Chinese EV is the world’s smallest box truck
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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.
