There are precious few things that car drivers and cyclists can agree upon when it comes to cities, but one universal concept seems to be the hatred of massive box trucks clogging up streets and bike lanes. Could this miniature version of a box truck built on a golf cart frame be the answer?
I found it while dumpster-diving through the strange vehicle heaven that this is Alibaba’s electric car catalog. And boy, oh boy, does it make a great inclusion as this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week?
Box trucks are normally mammoth things taking up way too much space, especially in crowded cities. You’ll often see them being used by delivery companies, and the fine for double parking or blocking a bike lane is too often seen as simply a cost of doing business.
But what if delivery companies swapped to something like this for densely-populated urban areas? It sounds silly, but why not?
These tiny electric vehicles often have a top speed of around 20-25 mph, which fits nicely with New York City’s blanket 25 mph speed limit. And that rear cargo box seems like it could fit a heck of a lot of Amazon packages on board.
And the best part is that the thing seems relatively cheap at just US $6,000. Of course, that’s the price in China, and you’d have to spend several thousand more on shipping, customs, port fees, taxes, etc. But if you’re lucky you could get out of this for under $10,000. Considering a new golf cart in the US often costs around $12,000, you’d be sitting pretty by saving a few dollars AND having a much more functional version that can carry more than just golf clubs.
This isn’t the first golf cart-based contraption I’ve wanted to drive around, but it’s perhaps one of the most practical ones yet.
I’m not actually going to order one of these, however. And I don’t recommend anyone else do it either. Ordering vehicles sight unseen from China’s largest shopping platform can be full of pitfalls. So do yourself a favor, and don’t risk your hard-earned cash. Let’s just hope we see some of these emblazoned with “AMAZON” across the side, making deliveries in San Francisco soon.