There’s something about pint-sized vehicles that just gets me going. Anyone can have a van. But what about a van that looks like it went through the washing machine on diaper setting and then a few extra trips around the dryer? Now we’re talking!
Check out what I believe to be the unconfirmed reigning world’s tiniest electric delivery van.
It’s the latest fun find for my Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column, and it feels just weird enough for me to want to try it out as my daily driver. I’d bring you along for the ride, but the center drive combined with the fact that I can touch the front and rear simultaneously means there’s no room for friends. This little guy is a one-seater.
In fact, the diminutive little four-wheeled contraption looks like someone simply bolted a cargo box to the back of a utility scooter and then just smoothed the rough edges… a bit.
But looks can be deceiving, and in this case, what we’ve actually got on our hands is a sleeper. There’s a powerful 3,000W (4 horsepower) electric motor hidden somewhere in the catacombs of this tiny romper, ready to unleash its electric fury onto the tarmac. The van is called the RUNHORSE but now I’m thinking they should have called it the RUNFOURHORSE. Eh oh!
In fact, those four ponies are put to good use. The top speed is listed as “greater than or equal to 45 km/h (28 mph).” I love the positive thinking that comes with that concept of speed, and I’m going to choose to focus on the “greater than” part of that range.
If you will it, and your heart is pure, you too can get the RUNHORSE up to whatever speed you wish!
Not only that, but there’s an 800W heater somewhere in the vehicle, pulling just over one more horsepower from the battery pack. RUNFIVEHORSE, it is!
I assume the heater is just the heating element from a toaster, generously freed from its former captivity inside a safely sealed countertop appliance. But hey, heat is heat. And you’re not going to be freezing your butt off in the world’s tiniest delivery van this winter.
The vehicle also might just be roomier than it looks. Putting plastic to ruler, you’ll find 8’6″ (2.6 m) of delivery van in front of you. I would have guessed less, but maybe it was just cold out when they took the pictures.
Either way, this thing can MOVE. Not quickly, mind you. But it does actually locomote. Check out the video below.
The LiFePO4 battery is actually quite large, coming in at 60V and 96 Ah for 5.7 kWh of capacity.
Range is anyone’s guess since they don’t provide that information on the sales page. But hey, it’s just a commercial delivery vehicle. How important is a pesky detail like range?
The price tag range is slightly more transparent. The cute little van is listed at a price of US $2,900 to $4,500. Perhaps that’s used vs new?
I’m not sure, but I’m also not about to find out. I’m pretty happy with my mini-truck as it is, and after the last container of weirdness I brought in, I think I need to give my Alibaba purchases a rest for a couple of weeks.
I don’t recommend anyone else purchase this either, if that even needs to be said. Buying weird vehicles (or anything, for that matter) on Alibaba is not without risk. Or to put it more directly, it’s super duper extra risky. Please don’t waste your money on my account. Let’s just enjoy the fun from the safety of our computer screens.
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