A YouTuber who bought a $2,000 electric truck from China five years ago has taken to his channel to give viewers an update on how it’s doing. Mike from Ebike School decided five years ago to buy the little Chinese electric truck and bring it over to America.
His unboxing video went viral, and people started chatting about how good or bad the Chinese vehicle was. A lot of people were clamoring for more information on it, eager to find out if it had survived five years of use.
In a recent video, Mike has revealed just how the truck has fared over that time. It has done well, too, having been bought over and put through five years of extensive use under his ownership. It certainly hasn’t been sitting in a garage doing nothing.
In fact, it has probably been one of the busiest trucks over the last five years. The vehicle found a home on his parents’ 10-acre property in Florida, and it was the perfect vehicle for Mike to use while working there. So the question is, did it survive the five-year period intact?
How the Truck Was Used Over Five Years
The pickup truck was incredibly busy over the last few years. It was used to do most things, such as moving mulch, sand, and dirt, as well as carrying logs, lumber, and branches. Even with its small size, it still seemed to cope well with the tasks it was given, and the hydraulic dump bed was a very handy feature as well.
The bed allowed Mike and his family to load up all sorts of heavy materials, and to tip them out easily wherever they wanted them to go. Over the years, a few custom touches were added to the truck as well. Mike and his dad gave it a custom tow hitch, and they replaced the stiff suspension springs with new, softer ones. They also swapped out its road tires for chunky off-road tires, making it better suited to driving across the Florida property.
The truck even became an irrigation tool. A solar-powered pump helped move lake water around the Florida property during the dry season, so the truck has done more than its fair share of work. But as it only cost $2,000, viewers wondered how much of it would still be working after that period. So, Mike decided to take a closer look and see how his budget purchase had fared. And it has probably done better than you would have expected.
This Is How Well the Truck Fared After Five Years of Hard Work
Mike found that out of the important features, pretty much all of them still worked. The electric windows, door locks, air conditioning, and lights all still worked correctly. The air conditioning in particular was a highlight, still pumping out very cold air. The original windshield wiper blade was still working too, although at this point the movement of the wiper had become shorter, but no matter. It did still work as intended. There were, however, a few issues. The rear lights, for example, had gone cloudy, while the tailgate and some other areas now had scratches and a bit of rust.
The upholstery inside the truck had started to tear, and one of the door panels had come loose. Weirdly, the rearview mirror had developed a tendency to fall off. Mike’s family even had to glue it back on several times. But everything that truly mattered for the truck to function and work was still going. Mike’s dad was actually very impressed by it. “I see no reason why it won’t go another five years or 10 years,” he said. So, while it’s not a heavy-duty truck, this little Chinese EV seems to have fared incredibly well.