After Think, BYD and Coda, Green Wheels ready to sell Wheego LiFe in Chicago

In 2012, Green Wheels, an eco-friendly car dealership in Chicago, sold "a ton" of Think City electric vehicles. Well, a ton for an underdog electric vehicle like the City, anyway, according to Green Wheels owner Doug Snower. The actual number was more like 50. Now, with the slow fade of Think – and the fact that Snower can't get any BYD e6 or Coda Sedans to sell – Green Wheels is gearing up to sell the WheegoLiFe alongside used hybrids and other used cars. The company has also sold 15 Mitsubishi i EV to the State of Illinois.

Green Wheels sells cars out of a remodeled abandoned gas station on Western Ave. in Chicago that opened up two years ago. Green Wheels signed up with Wheego in January but will not be selling the slow, neighborhood version of the LiFe, the Whip. The highway-speed LiFe MSRP is $32,995, with air conditioning being a $1,995 option. Thanks to a 30-kWh battery pack, the car qualifies for the full $7,500 federal tax credit. Given the other, cheaper pure EV options on the market, Snower told AutoblogGreen that, "we're going to have a little sit down with Wheego."

"We're going to have a little sit down with Wheego."

To name just one direct competitor, take the all-electric Smart ED, which starts at $25,000 (before incentives). The Wheego is a converted Shuanghuan Noble, and it is thus a little big bigger than the all-electric Smart ED. It also has a much larger battery pack (the Smart ED has a 17.6-kWh pack) and is unofficially rated at 90 miles on a charge, compared to the 68 miles for the Smart ED.

To go along with the EVs, Green Wheels also offers solar-powered charging stations and will soon focus on promoting charging units from French company DBT. DBT has installed thousands of charging stations across Europe, but is just now starting to sell them in the US. Green Wheels' solution adds in BYD solar panels for a truly emissions-free drive. Green Wheels also sells charging units from Coulomb, Schneider and Blink, and has already installed "dozens" of solar-powered stations.

But the main focus is the cars, and Snower was noticeably disappointed that, after all the brands he's tried to sell, Wheego is the only one left. He said he could easily sell Coda Sedans, but the troubled California automaker has pulled back to the west coast and the local Coda representative simply can't get Snower any vehicles to sell, Snower claimed.


Source: Autoblog Green

Wheego ready with LiFe EV build plan, 100 due by end of 2012

The biggest problem that Wheego was having the last time we looked in on the company was getting the Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to sign off on temporary exemption to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Regulations (FMVSSR) for its two-seat, all-electric Wheego Whip LiFe car. NHTSA granted the small electric vehicle company a waiver for an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system that is good until the end of the year. Wheego is in the process of developing an ESC for the little car. And with that, things are moving forward.

Wheego's Leslie Nolen told AutoblogGreen that around a dozen rolling chassis landed in Long Beach in the first shipment earlier this fall, and the plan was for Wheego to start building them into the LiFe EVs at its Ontario, CA location as soon as they made it through customs. This assembly process includes putting in the battery, battery management system and dash. The goal is to build 100 by the end of the year and Nolen said almost all of them are spoken for by dealers. Wheego has 30 dealers around the country.

There have been no major changes to the LiFe since the last time we took a look, but Nolen said the engineers have "tightened some stuff up" in the production process That includes things like having the appropriate wiring harness installed in China, where the chassis are built, rather than having the wrong one put in just so Wheego can take it out in the US.

Looking further down the road, Nolen said Wheego is working on R&D for a small, all-electric SUV. The plan is to show this off at the New York Auto Show in the spring of 2013 and have it available for sale by the end of that year.

Source: Autoblog Green

Wheego delivers its first highway-speed electric car

PRESS RELEASE

Coinciding with Earth Day, WHEEGO ELECTRIC CARS, a U.S. manufacturer of all-electric cars, today delivered the first Wheego LiFe, a highway-speed 100% electric car.

"We are very proud of this car and the American spirit that it represents," said Mike McQuary, CEO of Wheego Electric Cars. "The delivery of our first Wheego LiFe electric car culminates four years of research and development, and is perfectly timed to support President Obama's Energy Plan. President Obama will direct Federal agencies to buy 100 percent alternative fuel vehicles by 2015, and is asking for a major increase in fuel economy for 2017-2025 model year automobiles. The Wheego LiFe is ready to help meet that demand: it is affordable, all-electric, and available across the country now."

The first owners of a Wheego LiFe are Asma and Kevin Henry, residents of the Virginia Highland neighborhood in Atlanta . Jimmy Ellis, VP and COO of Jim Ellis Automotive Dealerships, the first dealer in Georgia to deliver a full-speed electric car, presented the Henrys with their car at the Jim Ellis dealership at 5855 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, at 10:30 a.m. on April 22nd.

Kevin says buying a Wheego LiFe was his wife's idea. Asma, a freelance consultant in international assistance programs, is committed to protecting the environment and reducing fossil fuel consumption. She walks and bikes to neighborhood shops, prefers fresh air to conditioned air, and dries laundry in the back garden. She has more than a casual interest in zero-emission vehicles and clean air because she helps manage the charity Speranta Terrei, which supports patients in Moldova with the air-borne disease tuberculosis. Asma said, "We as individuals have to do our part so we can all breathe easier."

"Asma Henry's commitment to helping the environment, and to her charity are inspiring to us, and we are excited that she is the owner of the first Wheego LiFe," said McQuary.

The Wheego LiFe travels approximately 100 miles on a single charge and retails for $32,995. It qualifies for a $7,500 Federal tax credit, as well as many state incentives such as tax credits (up to $5,000 in Georgia ) and HOV lane access. The Wheego LiFe comes fully-equipped with driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, power windows and locks, and optional air conditioning. The 115V lithium battery pack can be charged from a standard 120V outlet, a 240V outlet or any of the J1772 standard charging stations being installed in public locations throughout the United States . It is available in red, white, blue, black, silver, and green. The Wheego LiFe is a two-seat subcompact car with fit, finish and features designed for today's environmentally-conscious commuters. The Wheego line of electric vehicles are sold through a nationwide dealer network; for an up-to-date list, visit the Wheego dealer listing at http://wheego.net/more/dealer-list/.

About Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships
Jim Ellis Wheego is the Atlanta-area dealer for Wheego Electric Cars. Jim Ellis is a family-owned business with twelve sales and service locations and almost 40 years experience in the Atlanta area. Jim Ellis was honored in 2008 as a candidate for Time Magazine's Dealer of the Year, and has won the Consumer's Choice award for Business Excellence for the past six years. For more information about Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships, visit the company website at www.jimellis.com.

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, fleets 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, visit the company website at www.wheego.net. To inquire about dealership opportunities, email sales@wheego.net.

About Speranta Terrei
For more information about Speranta Terrei, visit http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/community-support-150-tuberculosis-patients-in-moldova