Production 2011–2013 Related | Electric motor 45 kW (60 hp) | |
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Manufacturer Shuanghuan Automobileand Wheego Electric Cars Inc. Battery 30 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery | ||
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). 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. 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).
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The first delivery took place on April 2011 to a customer in Atlanta. About 400 units were sold through 2013, when production ended.
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. 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.
Specifications
The 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe has the following specifications:
Production and sales
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). 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. 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. 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. About 400 units were sold through 2013, when production ended.