One of my favorite parts of perusing Alibaba for fun and outlandish electric vehicles is seeing just how creative the designers can become. In this case, I’ve found what looks like a mini-minivan that took an extra spin or two around the window factory before emerging complete.
It’s definitely a qualifier for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column and hopefully helps us finish the year strong! It’s not quite as window-loving as the half-submerged electric houseboat, but it sure does give that electric tiger bus a run for its money!
In this case, we’ve got what looks like an imitation Pontiac Trans Sport. Or at least it still gives me those Dust-Buster vibes. But instead of a 3.2L V6 that my parents’ Pontiac minivan came with, this Alibaba version has a 4,000W electric motor ready to clock in for a union job driving around those snot-nosed kids every day. And this time, when the kids get car sick and Dad yells back “just look out the window!”, they’ll have plenty of options.
This car – if you can call it that – is positively surrounded by windows. Or rather, it’s almost constructed of them.
Instead of doors, you’ve got windows. And there are even sliding windows mounted inside the fixed window doors. You’ve even got front and rear quarter windows! The rear units look like they’re barely a hand wide and the front is perhaps half of that again, but the designers definitely weren’t about to spend a penny more on body panels than they had to. I’m surprised there’s even a ‘hood’ panel and not just more glass showcasing an empty frunk up front. At least you’d never have to wonder if you left any groceries in there.
And just in case this tiny little van is too tall for you, a set of running boards on either side creates a convenient step-up, or perhaps tripping hazard, that you can take with you on the go.
The surprisingly large 48V 180 Ah battery offers 8.6 kWh of capacity, or enough for around 85 km (53 miles) of range. At a top speed of barely 30 km/h (18 mph) though, that sounds like a pretty long time to be stuck inside this mobile greenhouse.
There are four seats, allowing you to bring along your friends or perform school drop-off duty with the kids. But if you’ve got a local neighborhood carpool going then you might want to opt for the six-seater version.
At US $6,300, this is one of the pricier electric vehicles I’ve featured in this column, but those windows don’t grow on trees. If you want the best panoramic view on Alibaba (or close to it), then you’re going to have to pay for that pleasure.
Though like I always say, please don’t pay for it. These articles are a tongue-in-cheek exercise in window shopping. This is far from street-legal and also likely costs at least twice as much just in taxes, customs, and freight fees. And that’s not to mention the decent chance it gets seized at the border. So let’s enjoy it from a distance as we round out a fun year of Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicles!