Wheego Whip

Wheego Whip LiFe
Overview
Manufacturer Shuanghuan Automobile
and Wheego Electric Cars Inc.
Production 2011–
Body and chassis
Body style 2-door hatchback
Related Shuanghuan Noble
Powertrain
Electric motor 45 kW (60 hp)
Battery 30 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery
Range 100 mi (160 km)
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,025 mm (79.7 in)
Length 3,010 mm (118.5 in)
Width 1,605 mm (63.2 in)
Height 1,600 mm (63.0 in)
Curb weight 1,210 kg (2,667 lb)

The Wheego Whip was an all-electric city car originally developed as the electric version of the Chinese Noble by Shuanghuan Automobile and RTEV (Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles).[1] The production version, called Wheego LiFe, was presented at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show and was sold in the United States at a price of US$32,995 before any applicable tax credits and other incentives.[2][3] The Wheego LiFe was built with a 30 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack and has an all-electric range of 100 miles (161 km).[4]

The first delivery took place on April 2011 to a customer in Atlanta.[5] About 400 units were sold through 2013, when production ended.[6]

History

Wheego Electric Cars Inc. was formed as a spin out from RTEV (Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles) in June 2009 and its first automobile was a two-seat compact car under the Wheego Whip name in North America and marketed by Shuanghuan Automobile in China as the E-Noble, its brand name for the rest of the world. The car is capable of speeds of 95 km/h (59 mph). In the U.S. it was to be launched in August 2009 as a low-speed vehicle with a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) or as a Medium Speed Vehicle with a maximum speed of 35 mph (56 km/h), depending on local state regulations.[1] These versions used dry cell sealed AGM lead–acid batteries, with an all-electric range of 80 kilometres (50 mi) on a single charge, and capable of recharging on any standard household 110 or 220-volt electrical outlet.[1]

Specifications

The 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe has the following specifications:[7]

Production and sales

Wheego Whip all-electric car at the 2010 Washington Auto Show.

The 2011 Wheego LiFe production model used a 30 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack, can reach speeds up to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) and Wheego Electric Cars claims that it has an all-electric range of 100 miles (161 km).[4] The chassis is the same as the Shuanghuan Noble, which once imported from China is reinforced for safety in the U.S. assembly plant to pass U.S. crash-testing.[4] Final assembly takes place in Corona, California. Around 73% of the vehicle is composed of American products giving it a high domestic content rating.

The first Wheego LiFe was delivered to a customer in Atlanta, Georgia on April 22 (Earth Day), 2011.[5][8][9] As of March 2012, the company had manufactured 36 cars since April 2011, and only two cars were left in inventory. Wheego's business strategy was to build the cars only when the company gets money from sales or through venture capital.[10] About 400 units were sold through 2013, when production ended.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "RTEV and Shuanghuan Automobile Form EV Partnership". Green Car Congress. 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  2. ↑ "Wheego Debuts $32,995 Whip LiFe EV, Says Customer Deliveries to Start in Weeks". Edmunds.com. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  3. ↑ Voelcker, John. "Wheego Electric Cars Fade From Market; China Is The Future, Company Says". Green Car Reports. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Wheego now accepting pre-orders for $32,995 LiFe electric car". AutoblogGreen. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  5. 1 2 Blanco, Sebastian. "Wheego delivers first LiFe vehicle in time for Earth Day". AutoblogGreen. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. 1 2 LeSage, Jon (2016-10-24). "Wheego Now Autonomous Electric Tech Company, Not An Automaker". HybridCARS. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  7. ↑ Wheego. "2011 Wheego LiFe Technical Specifications". Wheego.net. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  8. ↑ Wirth, Michelle. "Reporter". WABE/PBA. publicbroadcasting.net. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  9. ↑ Woodyard, Chris (2011-04-22). "Atlanta couple buys first Wheego electric car". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  10. ↑ Jim Motavalli (2012-03-14). "Can The Tiny Wheego Win The Electric Car Race?". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
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