Posts Tagged ‘lithium’

Auto-Mobi.info, July 22, 2010

While customers can already test drive the low-speed Wheego Whip at the Jim Ellis Saab Atlanta location at 5862 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Jim Ellis Automotive Group is taking greater strides to provide low-emission, fuel efficient vehicles to the greater Atlanta area.

As the sole dealer of the Wheego Electric Cars, when the Wheego LiFe rolls out in September, Jim Ellis will be the first dealer in Atlanta to offer fully certified highway-speed fully electric vehicles for commercial and retail consumers.

“We want to become the auto dealer expert in this emerging technology,” says Jimmy Ellis, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Jim Ellis Automotive Group. “Jim Ellis is proud to have been chosen as the exclusive dealer in Atlanta GA for the Wheego car line of electric vehicles. This is an exciting development in our green initiative – promoting sustainable energy options while providing stylish, cutting-edge vehicles for our customers.”

However, the Ellis group has been quietly moving toward greener, more sustainable brands and vehicles for some time. Of course, the group began as a single Volkswagen dealership on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in 1971, and VW has long been known for their clean diesel TDI brand. The high-demand Volkswagen Jetta TDI has been named the “Green car of the Year” for several years running.

The luxury Audi TDIs also win accolades for being fuel efficient, low-emmision cars and SUVs. Jim Ellis Audi Atlanta has been promoting the TDI’s sustainability via partnerships with other environmentally-conscious brands, such as the LEED certified Philps Arena and the Loews Hotel in Midtown.

With the addition of their new Buick GMC dealership in Buford, Georgia, the Jim Ellis dealerships have a total of three General Motors sales and service points. General Motors is already offering Hybrid and Flex fuel options of many of their trucks and SUVs, including models of the Chevrolet Tahoe, Silverado, the GMC Sierra and Yukon models. Of course, General Motors is also working on the much-anticipated Chevy Volt electric vehicle, too!

Earlier in 2010, the Ellis group opened a Mitsubishi dealership at their 1141 Cobb Parkway location in anticipation of the i-MiEV and other innovations coming from the manufacturer such as the 2013 Evolution IV, a hybrid model of the sporty Mitsubishi Lancer.

The Porsche Cayenne Hybrid will be available later this year, and other automotive manufacturers are also gearing up to produce and sell eco-friendly vehicle options.

In the weeks to come, the Jim Ellis Green initiative will be fully launched, including a searchable green inventory that isolates only the lower-emission, higher-mileage and alternative fuel options from among the inventories of all of the Jim Ellis dealerships.

About Jim Ellis Automotive Dealerships: The Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships are a family-owned and operated business with dealerships located in Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia. The Jim Ellis dealerships sell new cars from Audi, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Saab, Wheego Electric Vehicles and Volkswagen, as well as a wide selection of used cars. To learn more, or to browse a complete inventory online, please visit the Jim Ellis Family website (http://www.jimellis.com).

by Seth Rowe, Sun Newspapers, Minnesota Local News – June 26, 2010

St. Louis Park vehicle salesman Jay Sitter has a smooth ride.

Sitter sells and uses ultra-quiet all-electric vehicles at a store simply called The Electric Vehicle Store, located at 4419 Excelsior Blvd. On his way to a meeting, he smoothly and noiselessly exited a garage in the back of conventional automotive shop Auto Motion.

The Electric Vehicle Store sells short-range electric vehicles like pickups, small cars and scooters. The store began as a part of Edina Bike and Sport through the work of owner Carl Gulbronson. The electric vehicles became popular enough that they fueled the opening of The Electric Vehicle Store in St. Louis Park, which has been in business for three years.

The vehicles sold at the store are all low-speed vehicles. A Zapino electric scooter similar in style to a Vespa travels up to about 30 miles per hour, according to its manufacturer, and runs up to about 30 miles on a charge. Like the other all-electric vehicles the scooter does not make noise and does not create emissions through exhaust. The Zapino scooter and most other electric vehicles plug into a standard three-prong 120-volt wall outlet. A full charge typically takes six to eight hours.

For the individual who likes to be protected from the elements, the store offers a car called the Wheego Whip. The technical specifications state the vehicle can be programmed to top out at 25 miles per hour. During a test run, the vehicle quickly and easily achieved about 35 miles per hour, though. The “real world driving range” is listed as 40 miles.

“It’s the perfect car for the teenager,” Sitter said. “You can’t go more than 20 miles from home or more than 35 miles per hour, and there’s no backseat.”

The store refers to the cars as neighborhood electric vehicles. They are more appropriate as a second car for many drivers, but would meet the needs of many commuters traveling 15 miles or less to work.

“One of the biggest deals about our electric vehicles is they’re not golf carts that have evolved into cars,” he said. “They are cars.”

A new Wheego electric vehicle would further fit the capabilities many associate with cars. The new two-seater Whip LiFe cars would travel up to 65 miles per hour for up to 100 miles on a single charge. They are expected to hit the market, including The Electric Vehicle Store, in September and have a listed retail price of about $33,000 before a federal tax credit of $7,500.

The chassis of the Wheego vehicles come from a modified Chinese vehicle but the motor and electric components come from North America. Although two-seaters, they feature plenty of headroom and a fair amount of trunk space. The life of the battery charge in the vehicles is extended through the use of regenerative braking, which captures and stores energy when the driver brakes.

Electric vehicles cost less than $1 per day in electrical costs to operate, Sitter said. With only about 25 moving parts in an electric car and no oil to change, maintenance is relatively simple, he said. No parts become hot from use, so they’re relatively easy to work on, added employee Jim Courteau. He noted a friend’s electric bill increased just about $10 per month as a result of charging an electric car.

The store’s website also features a space age styled three-wheeled vehicle expected to arrive later this year. The Alias would have a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour with a range of 100 miles per hour. The unusual-looking machine resembles a sleek ultra-modern sports car from the front but contains just one back tire.

Most of the cars are available with a weather management system that heats batteries during charges to help the vehicles start in cold weather.

The store sells to individuals but their biggest clients are colleges, municipal governments and other organizations, Sitter said. A truck with the brand name Miles is one of the more popular. Nice Ride Minnesota, a new bike-sharing program in Minneapolis, purchased two of the electric Miles trucks with which to move bikes to various stations in the city. Several University of Wisconsin campuses have also purchased electric vehicles.

“It’s for anyone who wants to have a green image and show a progressive image,” Sitter said. “Electric vehicles have evolved and continue to evolve very rapidly. I’m excited about the direction the industry is going in.”

The store focuses on providing public education through trade shows and in conjunction with community partnerships, Sitter said. Representatives of the store also seek to promote infrastructure, such as charging systems. The city of St. Paul is considering adding charging stations to some of the city’s parking ramps and along streets.

“We get a lot of positive response from the public in general, like this is great and yeah, that’s what we need to do,” Sitter said.

The Electric Vehicle Store is not the only commercial enterprise in St. Louis Park, either. The only Segway dealer listed in Minnesota on Segway’s website is B2B Segway, 5500 West 36th St. in St. Louis Park. The company is famous for its two-wheeled electric vehicles operated by standing on a platform and leaning forward or backward to move. The Segway Personal Transporter can travel up to 24 miles on a single charge.

To learn more about Segway, visit segway.com. For information about The Electric Vehicle Store, check out PluginMN.com.

by Lynne at Electric Cars Are For Girls, July 1, 2010

The Wheego Whip has gone on a diet, lost a little weight, and is now officially a hottie.

This cute little NEV, in case you’ve never met, looks quite a bit like a Smart ForTwo, and it’s a two-seater just like the Smart. It’s got an AC motor, and the NEV version comes with 96 volts, so that’s quite a lot of power and weight for a neighborhood electric car, don’t you think? (It doesn’t take 96 volts to move a small, light car peppily up to their legally-governed speed of 25-35 mph…so most NEV manufacturers go lighter.)

What those extra volts should give you is acceleration, hill-climbing ability, and the gumption to carry around two full-sized Americans. The trade-off is that every time you add another battery, you add weight. The Wheego Whip with lead AGM batteries is heavy; 3600 pounds with batteries, according to this Autopia Wheego Whip review. It wasn’t all that peppy from 0-35 mph, according to the review, but it was respectable, solid, and decently-appointed.

Wow, a grown-up urban commuter with bigger muscles than the Zenn. Okay.

But don’t they still make their NEV version of the Wheego Whip? Yes, they do. There are two models now, the Wheego Whip and the Wheego Whip LiFe with lithium.

[Virtual Wheego Test Drive]

So why would I prefer the Wheego Whip to the Smart electric car (which is limitedly available in the US for lease only)? Oh, yes; because the Smart EV is limitedly available in the US for lease only. Right. You can BUY a Wheego Whip, take it home, plug it in, paint daisies on the side, and smoke in it if you’re so inclined. It’s YOURS.

Um, that Smart EV lease will cost you a pretty penny, too, if you can even get one now. The Wheego Whip is 11,500 USD after all the tax incentives.

And the best part: now the Wheego Whip is also getting crash-tested and fitted with a 115v set of lithium batteries so it can be a freeway-flyer. They’re calling it the Wheego Whip LiFe (that’s short for lithium iron phosphate).

Essentials of the 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe

• Air conditioning.
  What? I’m going to start with the stuff that’s most important to ME first. Get used to it. Now, air conditioning might drain the battery pack, but so what? This is CRUCIAL. These guys were actually listening to us when they built this electric car.
• Stereo.
  AM (who needs that?)/FM, CD, MP3, USB…absolutely.
• Cabin heat.
  Obviously. No, I’m not going to throw on an extra coat. Give me Real. Proper. Heating. Thank you very much.
• Defrosting.
  Both front and rear, just like a regular car.
• Remote keyless entry.
• Power steering.
• Power windows and electric mirrors.
• Safety rated (on-board) charging.
  All the electrical bits won’t bite you, no matter how absent-minded or sleep-deprived you are. Non-scary charging works for me.

More Wheego Whip LiFe Features

• Regenerative braking.
  Absolutely predictable with an AC motor system, but nice to see. This will both save on brake pads and increase battery range. Nice.
• AC brushless motor.
  I guess I sort of let the cat out of the bag with that last item, but it’s got an AC motor. It’s not your usual 3-phase induction AC, it’s more like a per-mag. A little different. 95 ft/lbs of torque.
  Because I know you like that sort of thing. What this means is that it will get up and move when you put your foot down, and honey, we all like THAT.
• Front wheel drive.
• Anti-lock brakes.
• Air bags.
• Unibody frame.

[Wanna look underneath?]

The Long and the Short of it…

AutoBlogGreen heard it called the Cadillac of NEVs when they test-drove it at Marc Korchin’s Green Motors electric car dealership, and I have to agree: it’s more Zen than Zenn and smarter than Smart! This pocket-sized electric car has quietly shot all the way to the top of my “gotta have it” list.

For a list of Wheego Whip dealers in the US, click here.

From Energy-Overviews.com, June 17, 2010

Atlanta, Georgia-based Wheego is taking $100 reservations for the all-electric Wheego Whip LiFe car on the company website. The highway-ready Whip LiFe can travel about 100 miles per charge, and retails for $32,995 — which drops to a sticker price of $25,495 once the federal tax credit is applied. Other states, including California and Georgia, are offering tax credits and rebates to drop the price further.

“We are on schedule to be the first company to offer an affordable all-electric car in the US,” said Wheego CEO Mike McQuary. “Other auto companies have made announcements of the upcoming availability of their electric cars, but for the most part, their cars are being released in only a few cities, and in limited quantities. Our Wheego Whip LiFe will ship to customers first-come, first-served across the US beginning in September, and everyone who makes a reservation will be driving their car before the end of the year. The Whip LiFe has a lithium battery pack, is made of 75% US content, and is assembled in Ontario, California. It is an example of American ingenuity at its finest.” (Source: PR Web, June 15, 2010)

by Sebastian Blanco for Autoblog Green, June 15, 2010

Well, it isn’t going to be available in August as hoped, but the $32,995 (before incentives) Wheego Whip LiFe has been re-scheduled for delivery in September and Wheego Electric Cars is now accepting $100 refundable reservations here. Wheego CEO Mike McQuary was quick to point out in a statement that his car will beat both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt to market:

We are on schedule to be the first company to offer an affordable all-electric car in the U.S. Other auto companies have made announcements of the upcoming availability of their electric cars, but for the most part, their cars are being released in only a few cities, and in limited quantities. Our Wheego Whip LiFe will ship to customers first-come, first-served across the U.S. beginning in September, and everyone who makes a reservation will be driving their car before the end of the year. The Whip LiFe has a lithium battery pack, is made of 75% U.S. content, and is assembled in Ontario, California. It is an example of American ingenuity at its finest.

That last sentence requires some unpacking, since the LiFe is without question a modified Shuanghuan Noble, which is built in China. Wheego is quoting a 100-mile range and a 65 mile per hour to speed for the LiFe from a 28 kWh lithium (Li) iron (Fe) phosphate battery pack. It’s unlikely to get those two numbers to play nice together. If you don’t live in an area where the Leaf will be available right away, does this car appeal to you?

*UPDATE: Wheego has updated the battery to a 30 kWh pack that uses 36 (3.2V) cells at 260AH. Wheego also wanted to respond to the China comment with:

When the chassis comes to us from China, it’s just a sled that we reinforced for safety to pass crash-testing– then in our US assembly plant we add the transmission, motor, batteries, wiring, and controller (which are all US-made), as well as all the software that ties the components together.

ATLANTA (June 14,  2010) – WHEEGO ELECTRIC CARS today announced they are taking reservations for the all-electric Wheego Whip LiFe car on their website at www.wheego.net.

“We are on schedule to be the first company to offer an affordable all-electric car in the U.S.,” announced Wheego CEO Mike McQuary. “Other auto companies have made announcements of the upcoming availability of their electric cars, but for the most part, their cars are being released in only a few cities, and in limited quantities. Our Wheego Whip LiFe will ship to customers first-come, first-served across the U.S. beginning in September, and everyone who makes a reservation will be driving their car before the end of the year. The Whip LiFe has a lithium battery pack, is made of 75% U.S. content, and is assembled in Ontario, California. It is an example of American ingenuity at its finest.”

The highway-ready Wheego Whip LiFe goes approximately 100 miles on a charge, and retails for $32,995. The Wheego Whip LiFe qualifies for a $7,500 Federal tax credit, dropping the net price to under $26,000. States such as California and Georgia offer State tax credits or rebates up to $5,000 to further reduce the net price of the car. In addition, Congress has legislation pending that proposes an additional $2,000 electric vehicle incentive.

“We have had incredible interest in our Wheego Whip LiFe,” said McQuary. “I think the public understands that the time has finally come to make electric vehicles a part of everyday life. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has certainly highlighted that it’s time for a change. There are a lot of people talking about this problem, and now there is a chance to take action. A groundswell of public support for electric cars continues to grow. Once you have gone a few months without filling up your car at a gas station, you will be hooked on the idea of never doing it again. Americans are insistent on decreasing our dependence on foreign oil now; and on domestic oil, for that matter. You will recharge this car every night in your garage, and be good to go for 100 miles the next day: around the neighborhood, on the highway, everywhere you took your gas guzzler- except to the gas station.”

The new Wheego Whip LiFe comes fully-equipped with driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, and power windows and locks. The 115V lithium battery pack can be charged from a standard 120V outlet, a 240V outlet or any of the J1772 standard charging stations. It is available in red, white, blue, black, silver, and green. The Wheego Whip LiFe is a two-seat subcompact car with fit, finish and features that compete with any other subcompact car on the market. 

Drivers can reserve a Wheego LiFe by:

• Visiting www.wheego.net
• Making a fully refundable $100 down-payment
• Receiving a reservation number
• Providing contact information for follow-up by a registered Wheego dealer

About Wheego Electric Cars

Wheego Electric Cars is an innovation-driven and environmentally-conscious manufacturer of Electric Vehicles (EVs).  Under the leadership of Mike McQuary, CEO and former MindSpring entrepreneur, Wheego Electric Cars has become a leader in the integration of advanced technology components.  Wheego Electric Cars is one of the first EV companies to deliver affordable fully capable, street legal all-electric cars for everyday consumer use. The Wheego line of electric vehicles is emission-free, making them an ideal choice for consumers and businesses who want to reduce their carbon footprint. Wheego is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The cars are assembled in Ontario, California.

 

For more information about Wheego, and to view the list of Wheego dealers, visit the company website at www.wheego.net.

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by David Brooks for the Nashua Telegraph, June 14, 2010

The imminent arrival of the state’s first electric-car dealership in Hudson has produced a lot of excitement, but for firefighters, EMTs and police, it also produces questions about dealing with accident scenes.

“We have to have a heightened sense of safety, dealing with the voltages these things are carrying,” Hudson Fire Chief Shawn Murray said. “We used to just walk in there and cut battery cables. You can’t do that anymore.”

Emergency officials fear that long-established safety practices designed for accident scenes may not be appropriate when dealing with vehicles powered by banks of high-voltage batteries instead of gasoline, where the concern is electrocution more than explosion.

For example:

If an electric car is burning, should water be applied, or fire-suppressing foam, or some other type of foam?

Since electric motors are silent when running, how do first responders at a mangled vehicle determine if the engine is off or on? How can they disconnect the batteries quickly and safely, just to be sure?

When extracting somebody trapped in a vehicle, are there places that can be cut on a regular car that should be avoided on an electric one?

These questions have led the National Fire Protection Association to undergo a long-term training initiative for “comprehensive training . . . on the subject of safety during emergency operations involving Advanced Electric Vehicles.” New Hampshire’s standards for training and emergency scene operations will be based on federal standards, said Richard Mason, director of the state Division of Fire Standards and Training.

One variety of those advanced electric vehicles is about to arrive: a low-speed – 35 mph or less – two-door car called the Wheego Whip, which is powered by a dozen lead-acid batteries behind the back seat. Subaru of Nashua, a dealership on Route 3A in south Hudson, will start selling it this summer, becoming New England’s first dealership selling electric cars.

Wheego, an American firm that creates vehicles from components built by other firms, also plans to bring out a highway-speed version of the Whip later this year.

The Wheego line is among many electric or mostly electric car models coming to the nation’s roads. They include the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, both of which could hit dealers this year, as well as exotic vehicles such as the Tesla roadster and minicars with names such as Zap and Think.

They have a variety of different power trains that use various arrangements of nickle-cadmium or lithium-ion batteries located in different parts of the vehicle with different arrangements of wiring and controls, which greatly complicates first-responder planning.

The total number of these cars on the roads is likely to remain tiny for many years, but emergency services are getting ready. Notably, General Motors is preparing a nationwide program of training for fire and police departments involving the Chevy Volt.

Capt. Kevin Grebinar, of the Hudson Fire Department’s Division of Training and Safety, said the problem is that electric cars are so new, and the technology still changing and evolving, that responders have little experience to draw on.

“There’s very limited data out there,” he said. “There’s no collection point for information about these type of motor vehicle accidents.”

Even steps that have been taken are uneven. For example, high-voltage cables are supposed to be colored bright orange as a signal to mechanics and first responders, but reports say they’re sometimes covered by other materials.

The issues raised by electric vehicles can be complicated. For example, the National Fire Academy notes that firefighters shouldn’t worry about electricity traveling up the water stream when putting out a fire, as can happen with alternating current found in homes, because batteries use direct current.

DC, the academy notes, “follows a path out from the battery, along the electrical circuit and back to the battery (and) as such, will not travel up the hose stream. . . . The danger of electrocution exists when firefighters accidentally place themselves into the electrical circuit by touching both the negative and positive side of the circuit simultaneously with either their body or equipment.”

Despite the novelty of electric cars, however, changing emergency procedures because of changing car technology isn’t new. Providers have been dealing with it for years in terms of hybrid cars, which also have more voltage than traditionally powered vehicles.

Before that, the big issue was air bags. When air bags were first deployed, there were concerns that they might explode in car fires or that people could be harmed by exposure to their explosive gases.

Another hidden automotive technology that poses danger to first responders are pneumatic bumpers, which contain the equivalent of small shock absorbers on the bumper mounts.

These have been known to burst in post-accident fires, ejecting bumpers or other equipment at high speed.

David Brooks can be reached at 594-5831 or dbrooks@nashuatelegraph.com.

by Loralee Stevens for the North Bay Business Journal, June 14, 2010

All-electric vehicle that can handle highways debuts in Santa Rosa

SANTA ROSA –  Can incentives and rebates do for electric vehicles what they did for solar?

Jim and Barbara Bennett of Good Stuff Auto in Santa Rosa hope that’s the case as they debut the Wheego line of all-electric cars in the North Bay.

The 20-year purveyors of pre-owned BMWs are currently selling the low-speed Wheego Whip as a town car alternative to gas-powered vehicles. But this month they start taking orders for its highway-safe, high-speed sibling, the Wheego LiFe.

The LiFe joins the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, both due out later this year, in the race to provide all-electric vehicles to the public.

“We think the LiFe will be the first affordable all-electric vehicle available in the country,” said Mr. Bennett. “Plus, they’re built in the U.S. and assembled in California.”

“Affordable” is a tricky term to apply to a vehicle powered by a lithium battery, which itself costs more than $10,000.

Most EV cars cost three times that in total, putting the lowest-cost cars in the mid $30,000 range, he said. The LiFe is expected to retail for $32,995.

But California’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has $4.1 million from the state EPA to promote zero-emission vehicles through 2015. Light-duty all-electric and plug-in hybrids earn $5,000.

Then there’s a federal tax incentive of up to $7,500, depending on battery capacity. The Nissan Leaf, also currently under development, and the Wheego LiFe, both qualify for the maximum amount, bringing the sticker price to about $20,500.

The Leaf is a sedan, while the LiFe seats two. Otherwise, both cars will go approximately 100 miles on a charge, which takes about six to eight hours on a standard outlet, less on a 220 volt outlet.

According to Wheego manager of corporate communications Susan Nicholson, the LiFe was retrofitted from a gasoline model vehicle, “which we think adds to highway safety.” Wheego is based in Atlanta, Ga.

Good Stuff Auto has the exclusive right to sell the Wheego line in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties.

For more information visit www.goodstuffauto.com or www.wheego.net.

by Ken Edelstein for My Green ATL, June 8, 2010

Wheego, the Atlanta-based electric car company, will bring its first full-service road vehicle to market next week, when it begins to accept reservations for the new Wheego Whip LiFe.

“I’ll give you a sneak preview,” company spokeswoman Susan Nicholson writes me.  “The reservation form goes live June 14 ($100 refundable deposit) and the cars will ship September 1. We’re really excited about the car – it will go about 100 miles on a charge and be fully crash tested and highway ready.”

Although Wheegos are assembled in California, the company is based in Midtown and is headed by former Earthlink CEO Mike McQuary.

The Wheego in the photo looks like a Whip LiFe, but it’s actually just a plain ol’ Whip. The old Whip had some drawbacks — a range of only 40 miles and a top speed of only 35 mph. It’s not even allowed on the highway (the sales guy didn’t mention all that as he was showing off this standard Whip runs lists at $18,995 plus shipping and options, but federal and state tax credits will drop the price by more than $6,000.

The LiFe is a big improvement: It’ll go up to 60 mph and run for up to five hours (or 100 miles) on a 115 volt lithium pack batter — still pretty much a city car but a step up from the old Whip’s “neighborhood” classification. It reportedly will list $32,000, but it qualifies for $7,500 in federal and $5,000 in state tax credits. More datas on this Whip LiFe spec sheet.

Jim Motavalli, my colleague at the Mother Nature Network, is the only journalist I know of who’s taken a spin in the LiFe. He liked it. Here’s his article and video.

 ATLANTA (June 8, 2010) – WHEEGO ELECTRIC CARS, manufacturer of all-electric vehicles, today announced it has appointed Good Stuff Auto as its dealer with exclusive rights to sell the Wheego Electric Car product line throughout Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino Counties in California.

Good Stuff Auto owners Jim and Barbara Bennett are adding an Electric Boutique to their twenty-year-old dealership.  “There is a great deal of interest in Electric Vehicles in our area,” says Jim Bennett. “We think the Wheego Whip is a perfect addition to our Electric Boutique. It’s reasonably priced, stylish and fun to drive – but with no emissions, no gas and no noise. The Wheego vehicles are assembled in California, so we’re also happy about supporting another California business.”

Wheego President Jeff Boyd feels Good Stuff Auto is a good fit for the Wheego brand. “Californians have led the way in Electric Vehicle interest and usage,” says Boyd. “We anticipate tremendous demand for EVs and are excited to have signed Good Stuff Auto. Jim and Barbara Bennett have a proven twenty-year track record of offering their clients a very personal sales and service experience. Seventy percent of their sales are repeat or referral business. They will take good care of our customers, and we are happy to have them join us.”

The Wheego Whip LiFe Full-Speed all-electric car is expected this summer.  The Whip LiFe runs on a lithium battery pack, and will go approximately 100 miles on a charge. The retail price on the Wheego Whip LiFe is $32,995; the Whip LiFe qualifies for a $7,500 Federal Tax Credit, and a $5,000 State of California Rebate. The LiFe is anticipated to be the first affordable all-electric car to be widely available in the U.S.

The Wheego Whip LSV (Low-Speed Vehicle) is available now at Good Stuff Auto and other dealers across the country. It runs on sealed lead-acid batteries and qualifies for a 10% Federal Tax Credit in 2010. With a sticker price of $18,995, the Wheego Whip LSV net price is just over $17,000. The Whip LSV is an “around-town” car, with a range of about 40 miles per charge and a maximum speed of 35mph. “The Wheego LSV isn’t going to be a family’s only car,” says Jim Bennett. “But if you commute daily in the LSV and use it for all your local errands, you’ll find you are leaving your ‘thirsty’ car in the garage two-thirds of the time. You’re using far less gas, you’re extending the life of your bigger car, and you’re lessening your carbon footprint. At the end of the summer, we’ll have the highway-ready LiFe available here as well. We are inviting everyone to come in and take the LSV for a spin to get a preview for how the full-speed will feel. We’ll start taking reservations this month for the full-speed. What’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico right now is awakening in people a need to do something positive for the environment, and to begin to move the U.S. toward oil independence and a cleaner future. We are excited about being a part of that positive change.”

Both Wheego Whip models are fully-loaded two-seat compact cars with fit, finish and features that compete with any other subcompact car on the market.  Features include remote keyless entry, air conditioning, and MP3 stereo system.

About Wheego Electric Cars

Wheego Electric Cars is an innovation-driven and environmentally-conscious manufacturer of Electric Vehicles (EVs).  Under the leadership of Mike McQuary, CEO and former MindSpring entrepreneur, Wheego Electric Cars has become a leader in the integration of advanced technology components.  Wheego Electric Cars is one of the first EV companies to deliver affordable fully capable, street-legal electric cars for everyday consumer use. For more information about Wheego, visit the company website at wheego.net.

About Good Stuff Auto

Good Stuff Auto, owned by Jim and Barbara Bennett, is located at 1089 Santa Rosa Avenue in Santa Rosa, California. For more information about Good Stuff Auto, visit the company website at http://www.goodstuffauto.com or call 707-568-2515.

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