One of the many hallmarks of bizarre vehicles I often find for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column is a strange combination of parts. And rarely is that trait so perfectly exemplified than in this cute little two-seater electric car… with tank tracks.
It’s not the first vehicle with tank tracks we’ve found.
It’s not even the first electric tank we’ve featured.
But it just may be the most adorable.
I’m not sure what type of vehicle they started with to reach this point. It’s almost like a bumper car with a cabin. But then it’s got a full canopy, windshield and even a rear view mirror.
Alibaba claims a max occupancy of three passengers, but the two seats leave me wondering where they expect us to stuff a third person.
I’d love to tell you about the awesome (I’m assuming) tech specs, but this little runabout is a bit of a mystery. Alibaba doesn’t share with us anything regarding motor power, battery capacity or top speed.
They don’t even tilt up the bench seat in any of the pictures so we can get a look behind the curtain and see how the sausage is made.
I can’t imagine this sucker moves very fast, but speed has never been the best selling point for vehicles like these. It’s the all terrain aspect of tracked vehicles that accounts for their main draw. And I can see how this weird little EV would be a blast for cruising around on the sand, dirt, snow or any other loose terrain.
Our graphics guy seems to think that an alien world might be the best native habitat for our strange little EV, and I’m not inclined to argue. The vehicle itself is so foreign, I could see it being out of this world.
From what I can tell, at least our friendly little tank comes nicely outfitted. There are hard plastic seats, a set of headlights that probably share a single AAA battery for power, and even a steering wheel.
How does a steering wheel work with no axles? That’s a new one for me. But who am I to question Alibaba’s finest engineers?
If they can turn a tiger into a tour bus, I’m sure they can figure out how to control a set of tank tracks with a steering wheel.
While the design might be otherworldly, the price is refreshingly down to Earth.
All you’ll need to call one of these weirdmobiles yours is a whopping $1,800. That’s chump change compared to some of the strange things we’ve found on Alibaba before.
Surely shipping could end up costing you double what the vehicle costs. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve run into that wrinkle. Or the second time.
While I wait for my electric construction equipment to come in from China, I’m going to sit on the sidelines of this fun new find. But if you take it upon yourself to buy the world’s cutest electric vehicle with tank treads, be sure to drop me a line and let me know how it turns out. You’d be joining a small but growing number of ill-advised readers of mine who have taken the plunge on Alibaba.