By Stacey Shackford, Ithaca Journal, Nov. 10, 2009

ITHACA — The Pritchard family has always been proud of its past. As owners of Ithaca’s oldest car dealership, they’ve been selling cars to Ithaca motorists for five generations.

Now they are embracing the future, and they believe the future is electric.

William T. Pritchard Inc., of 304 S. Cayuga St., is the first dealership in the state to stock the Whip, an all-electric low-speed vehicle manufactured by a California company called Wheego.

The Pritchards took stock of the two-seat compact car last week, and Dan Pritchard has been using it to whip around town on errands and show off its smooth, noiseless ride.

Interest in the little red novelty has been high, he said, although no orders have been placed yet.

With a speed limit of 25 mph and a power charge that will last for about 40 miles, the vehicle is meant to be used solely for short distances, driven on roads with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less.

But its 40 horsepower motor is more powerful than many electric vehicles on the market, and a bit bigger than their traditional golf-cart sized frames. At 118.5 inches long, 63 inches wide and 63 inches high, it is surprisingly roomy inside, with space for a large suitcase in the back.

There is a socket where you would expect the gas tank to be, and a cord that plugs into any household 120-volt electrical socket. It takes about eight hours to fully charge the 12 sealed lead-acid 8-volt batteries, and Pritchard said Wheego the company encourages “opportunity charging,” frequent short-term charges whenever you find yourself parked near a plug.

The car is completely uncluttered beneath the hood, and dashboard controls are simple, with just three displays — a power charge indicator, a speed indicator, and an “ecometer” comprising five LED lights that let you know when you are driving most efficiently.

The limit on speed does force the driver to rethink where they are going and how they will get there, but Pritchard pointed out that it is possible for a West Hill resident to use the car to get to work at Cornell University, do the weekly shopping at Wegmans and visit the Farmer’s Market on weekends. Pritchard said he is in talks with Cornell, Ithaca College and the City of Ithaca about the possibility of incorporating it into their fleets.

He said the low speeds mean low wear and tear on brakes and other parts, and subsequently low maintenance costs. The only fluids to be filled are for the brakes and windshield wipers, so there are no oil change or gas bills to be paid.

He estimates the cost to power the car to be 3 cents per mile. At current gas prices of nearly $3 per gallon, even a relatively efficient gasoline car that gets 30 miles per gallon costs 10 cents per mile.

A full-speed Wheego Whip is expected next summer, with lithium ion batteries that will give it the ability to travel at 60 mph and get 80 miles on a single charge. The company will be offering a trade-up program for those wishing to swap models and willing to pay a price differential to do so.

One of the incentives to buy now, however, is a $7,500 federal tax credit, only guaranteed until the end of the year, which would bring the price of the low-speed vehicle to $12,495.

“If you are really into taking care of the environment and saving some money, it’s still not a bad deal,” he said.

Pritchard said he embraced the product after seeking ways to supplement stock when Chrysler announced in May that it would be withdrawing the dealership from its franchise as part of bankruptcy restructuring. Despite the pull-out, he said business is going well, and the change actually gave his used car sales a boost as people realized they stocked and serviced more than just Chrysler products.

“We are really excited about this,” Pritchard added. “The whole future seems to be going this way.”