Million Rubles to Drive Bathtub Cars in Yekaterinburg
Creators of custom electric bathtub cars in Yekaterinburg reveal they cost up to 400,000 rubles ($4,400) each, and explain why GIBDD only fined them.
Apr 25, 2026 0
You have likely seen these bathtubs racing through central Yekaterinburg.
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What don«t people ride in Yekaterinburg: scooters, sofas, flying saucers, even toilets. It seems nothing can surprise us anymore, but... Just a year ago, bathtubs on wheels started racing down the city»s main streets, instantly catching the attention of pedestrians, drivers, and even GIBDD officers.
Vladimir, on the right in the image, is the project«s creator.
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Owners of the budget «electric car» often go drifting on Vaynera Street and near the Greenwich shopping center. It was there that E1.RU journalists caught up with the bloggers who created this unique vehicle and tested it themselves.
The team works on the wonder-vehicle inside their garage.
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Who drives the bathtub, how much does it cost to build, and is it legal? Read in the text by Darya Kostomina.
Assembling one bathtub costs a six-figure sum.
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«Sometimes, at night, people come out of clubs and say, «Let me ride!» They start offering nearly a million rubles (about $11,100 at current rates) to take the wheel. For safety, we don«t let anyone ride, and our explanations end with people getting offended. But passersby react positively: some laugh, some are in shock,» said Vladimir, the inspiration behind the Vanna Drift project.
The Vanna Drift team does not sell its exclusive transport.
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Yekaterinburg resident Vladimir is not an engineer but a concert director and producer. He created the bathtub on wheels to promote artists and create interesting events in the city. And his plan worked: the vehicle immediately attracted attention. «With a team of eight people, we wanted to make something that could be driven, electric-powered, and most importantly, legal. Originally, we wanted to make a boat, but we made a bathtub. The boat project turned out to be much more expensive than the bathtub. Plus, a bathtub because I really love washing,» explained the Yekaterinburg resident.
Riding the bathtub car means bypassing traffic jams.
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The guys made the first bathtub based on hoverboard wheels at the end of 2024. Now in their garage are three improved units (one of which is musical), as well as a racing boat.
The creators plan to expand their bathtub project to other cities.
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«The bathtub is iron. Cast iron is much heavier, but iron withstands frost and impacts. Plastic would have cracked long ago. We«ve now switched to a go-kart axle, to which disc brakes and a sprocket are attached. The motor rotates the sprocket via a chain. Another bathtub has a gearbox often used in China for tricycles. The gear ratio makes the wheel spin fast. The frame is entirely assembled by us: steering wheel, handbrake, hydraulic system. First and foremost, we thought about how to make brakes to be able to stop if needed.»
The video shows who drives electric bathtubs through central Yekaterinburg.
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Since all the blueprints are ready, a bathtub can be assembled in three days. The hardest part is sourcing all the parts, which can take several weeks. Tuning the bathtub is an expensive pleasure: creating one «car» costs about 400,000 rubles ($4,400 at current rates).
A video with 8 million views led to bathtub drivers dismounting at crosswalks.
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«The most expensive part is the batteries. There are two: one for the powertrain and one for the sound. They last for four hours of driving. Another bathtub cost 350,000 rubles ($3,900 at current rates), with the most expensive part being the motor at 100,000 rubles ($1,100 at current rates). So far we«re in the red by three million rubles ($33,300 at current rates), but I»m ready to go even further into the red. The main thing for me is people«s positive reaction,» shared Vladimir.
The project is constantly under development. In the near future, its creators plan to make it possible to safely carry passengers in front.
GIBDD officers also periodically consider safety. At first, one might think the bathtub is stolen, and besides, it has no license plates — which could lead to license revocation. «We were called to GIBDD. Our video spread across all federal channels, and the media wrote that the bathtub goes 250 kilometers per hour. We explained that it would already be taking off. The only thing was, they issued us a fine and explained that we need to dismount at pedestrian crossings. We told them about the project and the idea that we drive carefully and have brakes. From the start, we always understood that it had to be safe.»
If you happened to plan on buying this exclusive transport to avoid Yekaterinburg traffic jams, you won«t succeed. The bathtubs cannot be bought or rented; you can only build one from scratch yourself.
«We don«t sell bathtubs for any money. In comments, we always reply: »We«ll sell for one bitcoin,» to make people decline. Also, we don«t let anyone take the wheel because it»s not safe. On social media, we show how to assemble a bathtub, but we warn not to take it on public roads. Our goal is to advance engineering so that not everyone is just glued to TikTok. So far in Russia, they don«t build cars that can be driven at least safely,» explained Vladimir.
The creators aim to make the project accessible and therefore don«t go into commerce. Vladimir explained why the ride will never be paid: «It will turn into an attraction that entrepreneurs will launch across Russia. Then they»ll start hitting people, and we don«t need those tragedies.»
On social media, the Vanna Drift team constantly posts videos of their night rides. They are followed by thousands of fans not only from Russia but also from abroad.
The project has taken off so much that the team will soon be moving to Moscow. They plan to create ten bathtubs that will race in ten million-plus cities.
«It«s easier to promote the project in the capital. There are sponsors and bloggers there, but here in Yekaterinburg, there seem to be none, or they offer giant price tags: »A hundred thousand rubles ($1,100 at current rates), and let«s go, I»ll get you views,« added Vladimir. «In every city, we want to make bathtubs with music. Bloggers will ride them, entertain people, sing karaoke. All of this is free; our benefit is in sponsors and advertising, for example, concerts. An event poster can be stuck on the bathtub, and we can play songs from some artist. Singer Andro is already waiting for us in Moscow to go for a ride.»
Earlier, we told you about a Yekaterinburg resident who cruised through the city center on a flying saucer. The little green man rode his alien transport (actually a three-wheeled bicycle) along Lenin Avenue, then along 8 Marta Street, where he was caught by GIBDD officers. The guy shared with us how he came up with that idea.
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