American who bought one of the world's cheapest electric vehicles on Alibaba fell in love with it and ended up buying nine more

  • This YouTuber bought 10 of the world’s cheapest electric vehicles
  • They were shipped from the Chinese factory of Alibaba
  • But why did he buy so many?

Published on Dec 10, 2024 at 8:34 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Dec 11, 2024 at 8:23 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

We’ve heard of getting more for your money – but 10 of the world’s cheapest electric vehicles from Alibaba is a veritable fleet.

Introducing the Chagli from online bargain Chinese marketplace, Alibaba.

It’s said to be one of the cheapest EVs on the planet.

According to this YouTuber from Utah, US, who owns a double-digit fleet: “You’d have a hard time not smiling when you are behind the wheel”.

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The Changli fleet

Describing them as both ‘fun’ and ‘toys’, Caleb Nelson of Electric Import Motors – who shared the story of his Changli habit to YouTube – said the ‘hawt new facelift’ of the 2021 model prompted his bargain spending spree.

“They have done an amazing job engineering this car,” he enthused, explaining why he ordered nine more direct from the factory in China.

That was the maximum number that could fit into a 40-foot shipping container to be transported from China to Long Beach, California, and then to Salt Lake City, Utah.

He described how the microcars were packed with all sorts of features – from a backup camera to a stereo, heat, and more.

Not bad for a factory price of $900 ($1200 with batteries and excluding shipping and import fees).

While Nelson admits that its ‘max speed isn’t that impressive’ he admits that ‘you’d have a hard time not smiling when you are behind the wheel of one’.

Here are some more of the stats that enticed him to acquire a fleet of 10 (before selling two).

By the way, you can also buy a ‘Ferrari’ 458 for $28K on Alibaba, just don’t expect to be able to drive it.

The cheapest electric car from Alibaba

The boxy micro EV is seen as an affordable alternative to a golf cart with better features for short commutes.

Compact and lightweight, most are designed to seat two or three people.

As Nelson said, they’re limited to low speeds of 30–40km/h (18–25mph) with a range of approximately 30–60 miles (50–100km) per charge depending on the model and battery option.

They can be plugged into standard household electricity, taking 6–8 hours for a full charge.

Want more? The Supercar Blondie team recently got a $4,000 fake Range Rover from Alibaba and had no idea what to expect.

They even raced it against the real thing.

We’ll let you find out for yourselves how that went.

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”