Whip It Good: Wheego EV Roll Out Set

May 2009 Launch Set For New EV

The electric vehicle (EV) battle is heating up thanks to just about every major manufacturer pledging to provide a road ready model or two within the next one to three years. Figure that by summer 2012 we’ll see plenty of pure electric vehicles on the road, mostly plug-in lithium-ion battery powered models now that the technology is in place.

We’ve also been expecting for the past several years that China would jump into the lucrative American car market, but several false starts have demonstrated that neither Chery Automotive or BYD is quite ready yet. Instead, Shuanghuan Automobile Company will be the first company to have their cars on American streets in the form of the Wheego Whip, a tiny Smart-like low speed vehicle.

Low speed as in the car can go as fast as sixty miles per hour, but because it is being marketed under the Department of Transportation’s Neighborhood Electric Vehicle and Low Speed Vehicle program, the Whip is street ready, not highway built. This also means that the crash test requirements are much less stringent, exactly the same parameters Chrysler follows with its fleet of GEM electric vehicles.

Shuanghuan will not be setting up their own dealer network across the US to market the Wheego Whip, instead that task has been left to an American company — Wheego Electric Cars, a division of RTEV, Inc. — to sell the Whip. Following the six photographs I’ve included herein is a statement from the company’s president, Jeff Boyd explaining the establishing of the dealer network.

“In today’s difficult automotive market, more and more car dealers are looking for additions and alternatives to the traditional brands to maintain and grow their dealership business,” said Jeff Boyd, president of Wheego. “Electric vehicle adoption, fueled by volatile gas prices, increasing environmental awareness, and technological advancements puts the electric vehicle industry on the cusp of major growth as consumers are increasingly making more green-conscious buying decisions. Progressive car dealers are realizing this, and we’re receiving applications from a variety of dealers who also have other car lines such as Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet, Saturn, and Suzuki, and want to expand their product line-up and catch the wave of the emerging electric vehicle movement. No one wants to get left behind. We will launch our first car, the Wheego Whip in May with a target of 50 U.S. car dealerships appointed by then,” added Boyd. “These will be a combination of traditional car dealers as well as a new type of dealer who exclusively sells electric vehicles and combines several manufacturers such ZENN, ZAP, and MILES in one dealership.”

Wheego expects to have its network of dealers in place for the May 2009 release of the Whip. The company says that the car has a range of fifty miles and will retail for about $19,000. I don’t know if the car will qualify for IRS tax abatements/rebates for alternative energy vehicles, but its low price and size certainly raises its appeal with city drivers.

Source: RTEV, Inc.