The Wheego Whip was an

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

city car The A-segment is the first category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined. A-segment sales represented approximately 4.2% of the ...

produced by American automobile manufacturer Wheego Technologies. It was a low-speed vehicle with a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) or as a

medium-speed vehicle Medium-speed vehicle (MSV) is a vehicle registration category in some states of the United States where applicable vehicles are allowed to travel on roads at speeds up to . The safety regulations for MSVs are more stringent than those for Low-speed ...

with a maximum speed of 35 mph (56 km/h), depending on local state regulations. The Whip was based on the

bodyshell A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

of the Shuanghuan Noble produced in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, where it was sold as the Shuanghuan E-Noble. The Whip and a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

-capable version, the Wheego LiFe, were produced from 2011 to 2013, with a total of approximately 300 units being completed when production ceased.

History

Wheego Electric Cars Inc. was formed as a spin out from RTEV (Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles) in June 2009, having formed a partnership with

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

car manufacturer Shuanghuan Auto, with the Whip as its first automobile. It was based on the Shuanghuan Noble, a two-seat

produced by Shuanghuan since 2004 controversial for its similarity to the

Smart Fortwo The Smart Fortwo (stylized as "smart fortwo") is a two-seater city car manufactured and marketed by the Smart (marque), Smart division of the Mercedes-Benz Group for model years 1998–2024, across three generations — each using a rear-engi ...

. In the United States it was to be launched in August 2009 as a low-speed vehicle with a top speed of or as a Medium Speed Vehicle with a maximum speed of , depending on local state regulations. These versions used

dry cell An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its nega ...

sealed AGM lead–acid batteries, with an

all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of a Battery electric vehicle (BEV), it means the maximum range per rech ...

of on a single charge, and capable of recharging on any standard household 110 or 220-

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

electrical outlet. The

was produced by Shuanghuan in China was then fitted with the electric

drivetrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...

. The vehicle was marketed under the Wheego Whip name in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and the Shuanghuan E-Noble in the rest of the world.

Production and sales

, Wheego had manufactured 36 cars since April 2011, and only two cars were left in inventory. Wheego's

business strategy In the field of management, strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by an organization's managers on behalf of stakeholders, based on consideration of resources and an assessment of ...

was to build the cars only when the company gets money from sales or through venture capital. About 400 units were sold through 2013, of which 300 were completed when production ended.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Wheego Vehicles
Wheego Technologies website

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

Electric city cars Production electric cars 2011 introductions

History

Production and sales

See also

References

External links