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I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

electrek.co

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Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#31

Post by bri3d »

haunter wrote: post #23

>the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories Does that mean you can't have a street legal car in the US without a backup camera? Or if it does have a backup camera it has to come from a DOT-registered factory? If the latter then why not just disable it? Or that's not even enough?

The author of this article does not understand FMVSS or DOT regulations.

1) Yes, this is true, for several years the FMVSS has required backup cameras for full speed cars. However, this isn't true for low speed vehicles.

2) This just isn't true at all. FMVSS do not require factories to be certified in any specific way. https://www.rearviewsafety.com/pub/static/version1558698936/... These are the requirements. Manufacturers self-attest that they comply. The NHTSA reserves the right to respond to complaints or independently inspect their vehicles. They don't inspect or register "factories."

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#32

Post by [deleted] »

haunter wrote: post #23

>the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories Does that mean you can't have a street legal car in the US without a backup camera? Or if it does have a backup camera it has to come from a DOT-registered factory? If the latter then why not just disable it? Or that's not even enough?

[deleted]

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#33

Post by GekkePrutser »

exar0815 wrote: post #11
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #9

> glass has to come from DOT-registered glass factories, the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories, etc. It’s not enough to simply go 25 mph and have seat belts and blinkers... Even if the cars had all the necessary DOT parts, the factory that produces them in China also has to be registered with the NHTSA to allow the cars to be street legal in the US. Some of this makes sense. Much o…

Well, obviously everything makes sense! Atleast when knowing the reason for that is simply very successful lobbying by established companies to prevent anyone from entering any vehicle or vehicle supplying market without enormous upfront costs .

Imagine hitting a pedestrian at 4mph on the side of the road with one of your headlights. The headlight shatters.

However, the light turned out to not actually be safety glass and not shatter in harmless cubes but in nasty long splinters that hit an artery and the pedestrian bleeds out on the side of the road. The Chinese company won't give a shit because they have no certification so nothing to lose. They didn't even export it to you, some random AliExpress seller did. So you end up in jail for it.

This kind of learning from previous mistakes informed the complex legislation around vehicles. Most of these things have good reason, not just lobbying. Manufacturers love cutting costs and you need a big stick to keep them honest. Remember the Ford Pinto? The Boeing 737MAX? Or what Volkswagen did to trick emissions tests? In fact I'd be surprised if the factories welcome all the paperwork that comes with it.

In the end it's not to protect the industry, it's to protect the people (not just you but other road users as well) from an "all too eager to cut corners" industry. And random Chinese factories love cutting corners even more and there's virtually no risk to them. The only way to be sure is to have the whole chain certified.

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#34

Post by glxxyz »

haunter wrote: post #23

>the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories Does that mean you can't have a street legal car in the US without a backup camera? Or if it does have a backup camera it has to come from a DOT-registered factory? If the latter then why not just disable it? Or that's not even enough?

Every new vehicle has to have a backup camera.

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#36

Post by bri3d »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #9

> glass has to come from DOT-registered glass factories, the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories, etc. It’s not enough to simply go 25 mph and have seat belts and blinkers... Even if the cars had all the necessary DOT parts, the factory that produces them in China also has to be registered with the NHTSA to allow the cars to be street legal in the US. Some of this makes sense. Much o…

It's just not true - the author of this article doesn't understand FMVSS or the process.

How this works is basically:

1) There are safety guidelines (FMVSS) governing classes of motor vehicles. For LSVs, the regulations are _extremely_ simple. There's no such thing as a "DOT reverse camera factory." https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.500

2) The manufacturer must self-attest that the vehicle complies, and affix a label confirming this self-attestation.

That's pretty much it. Now the NHTSA will do what they need to to enforce their rules. If customers complain or independent testing reveals a violation, they will require a recall or ban certain vehicles or makes, or sue the manufacturer or importer.

But there's no reason these vehicles couldn't be compliant if the manufacturer was willing to attest, and also no such weirdness as "DOT factories."

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#37

Post by bri3d »

Glyptodon wrote: post #15

I'm confused by street legal thing. How do people register cars they make themselves if there are all these requirements?

Self-built cars are usually a completely different process, and also don't involve import.

But, the author of the article also massively overstates the requirements for a legal vehicle under the Low Speed Vehicle rules. The full FMVSS rules are gargantuan, complex, and hard to meet, but the LSV rules really aren't.

They basically need to not go 25mph, meet dimension and weight requirements, and have lights, reflectors, seat belts, and an approved windshield. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.500

The manufacturer then self-attests that the vehicle meets FMVSS, and submits paperwork documenting their VIN format. Unless there are complaints or an investigation, that's pretty much it.

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#38

Post by throwaway0a5e »

bri3d wrote: post #36
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #9

> glass has to come from DOT-registered glass factories, the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories, etc. It’s not enough to simply go 25 mph and have seat belts and blinkers... Even if the cars had all the necessary DOT parts, the factory that produces them in China also has to be registered with the NHTSA to allow the cars to be street legal in the US. Some of this makes sense. Much o…

It's just not true - the author of this article doesn't understand FMVSS or the process. How this works is basically: 1) There are safety guidelines (FMVSS) governing classes of motor vehicles. For LSVs, the regulations are _extremely_ simple. There's no such thing as a "DOT reverse camera factory." https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.500 2) The manufacturer must self-attest that the vehicle complies, and aff…

Millions of things are stamped "not for highway use" not because they don't comply with the relevant FMVSS but because the manufacturer doesn't know, doesn't care and doesn't want to think about it or risk being wrong.

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#39

Post by tantalor »

Glyptodon wrote: post #15

I'm confused by street legal thing. How do people register cars they make themselves if there are all these requirements?

Generally they aren't. Here's an example:

> Factory Five products are expressly sold for custom car-building, racing and off-road use and are not intended to be used in conventional passenger or other legal highway applications.

https://www.factoryfive.com/terms-conditions

Re: I bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba (2021)

#40

Post by olyjohn »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #2

Honestly, I think $7,000 delivered for this is a pretty good price. It would make a nice farm vehicle, especially with that dump bed. It's in the same price range as a lower end UTV and looks like it would be far more comfortable doing, e.g., snow clearing duty. Swap in a set of BFG Mud Terrain tires and you're all set. Some feedback on reliability, the rust issues, etc. would be nice but I'd seriously think about ge…

Jason Torchinsky from The Autopian imported a ChangLi a couple of years ago. He has posted regular updates since he got it (his old posts are still up at Jalopnik). I don't know how it compares to this one exactly, but there were a few posts showing some sketchy wiring, and some wires that nearly caught on fire. But it should give you some idea how it's been working.
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