by Nino Marchetti for Earth Techling, January 27, 2010
Low speed electric vehicle manufacturer Wheego, which recently debuted its Whip EV in dealers across the country, is showcasing at the Washington Auto Show this week a prototype of a “full-speed version” of the Whip. It is called the Whip LiFe and it is said it will price around $32,000 before tax credits and should be available by mid-year. The Whip LiFe, which Autoblog Green covered the public unveiling of, will run on lithium-ion batteries. It is projected to go up to 100 miles on a full charge, taking up to eight hours to charge via a standard wall outlet. A snap shot Autoblog Green caught of vehicle specs shows the Whip LiFe will be capable of a maximum speed of 65 MPH and driven by a brushless electric motor with a peak horsepower of 60 and torque of 95 ft. lbs. It will hold two passengers, has front wheel drive, a variety of interior cabin comforts, five different exterior colors and a mix of standard safety features. It is definitely a small car, with a length of slightly under 10 feet, a width of around 5.3 feet and a height of 5.25 feet.
image via Autoblog Green
“This car will shake up the landscape of the American auto industry,” said Wheego CEO Mike McQuary in a statement. “This summer, it will be fully crash-tested and highway-ready. Americans are eager to step up to the plate and take charge of our energy independence and address environmental issues; all we have lacked is the right car for the job…Wheego will answer that call.”
Mike McQuary:
I am impressed by your EV start up company and Wheego Whip vehicle and would like to learn more about your company and specifically, your vehicle inverter. Our company, SBE, Inc. is the top U.S. manufacturer of film capacitor technology for automotive EV inverter applications and are launching our first EV capacitor in late 2010 with several more EV launches in 2011 and 2012 globally. We have a unique technology that offers superior performance, less mass / weight, smaller packaging and total vehicle cost savings over conventional products.
I would like to meet with you and understand your needs to offer a potential product and vehicle improvement to Wheego at your convenience.
Regards,
Jim Crawley
Vice President, Business Development – Automotive
SBE, Inc.
jimc@sblectronics.com
(248)987-4942 Office