When we find electric cars in this weekly column about the bottomless pit of Chinese shopping megasite Alibaba, we usually look for things that look weird, fun, or at least remotely helpful. This week we can say that the first he achieved two. I'm not quite sure what to call this one, so I think I'll have to use Happy Car, the name given to it by its creator.
Unless you have a stomach of steel, you may not be the happiest rider after a few spins on one of these.
I'll do my best to explain Happy Car accurately, but I'm as clueless as you.
What we have here is a giant tube with a big tire on each end. It's like the monowheel you sit inside, except it has two "wheels" to prevent you from falling over and scraping your face from the monowheel problem.
There are 2 bucket seats with 4-point harnesses to hold victim You may be wondering why you need a 4 point harness. It's akin to one of the rides outside a dilapidated K-mart, where you bounce on a plastic unicorn for 30 seconds and hit the quarter.
The $3,300 Happy Car is a bit more action-packed as the rider's capsule swings back and forth freely within the main barrel. That means that any acceleration or hard braking can actually turn you upside down or flip over completely.
The round shape of this strange electric car is, of course, the result of being designed to roll like a barrel. But we think the engineers were clever enough to repurpose it.A convenient drain plug at the bottom of the donut makes it easy to remove and hose off the vomit after the ride. .
Can't you believe how pissed this must be? Watch the video below (skip to about 22 seconds for the driving footage) and tell me it doesn't seem to induce vomiting. Oh, turn the speakers down, too.
For some reason, this contraption is actually powered by two tiny 300W electric motors. This is slightly more than the motors of e-bikes legalized in the EU.
But the Happy Car doesn't go very fast, so it may have very low power.
Speeds are listed in meters minute, which is the first clue that you're not going anywhere anytime soon. But if you don't mind cruising at 40-60 meters per minute (1.5-2 mph), this could be the perfect ride for you and your friends.
Make sure you and your friend are no taller than 185 cm (6'1 inches). This is the rider height limit. There is also a weight limit of 200 kg (440 lbs), but it is not clear if he is one or both riders.
If rolling and flipping isn't enough stimulation, Happy Car comes with a complete light package and customizable sounds for a multi-pronged assault on your senses.
Of the many weird Alibaba EVs I've covered in this column over the past few years, I'm not sure this one tops the list of things I want to wait in line to test.
I'll save it for someone who's braver and less upchucking than I am.
But it still amazes me how weird Alibaba's catalog of quirky electric cars has gotten. I love flea markets!
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