Switching over to the Whip HSV, it's important to note that production version is still months away, so we sampled an early prototype. It felt much the same as the NEV, just faster. At higher speeds, wind noise wasn't an issue, demonstrating effective door and window sealing. Road noise did increase with speed, but not to an objectionable level. Over 50 mph, the Whip HSV continued to feel like a real car. This is not an insignificant observation for a vehicle in this category, and one that comes from such humble origins.
These humble origins reveal themselves in the suspension tuning. Designed for a vehicle weight of just 1800 pounds, with batteries, both Whips carry more tonnage than the gas-powered Noble. The suspensions also have long travel to cope with China's notoriously poor roads.
Both versions of the Whip would benefit from additional suspension tuning. The ride was too bouncy and understeer causes the tires to howl at the first hint of lateral gs. The understeer is surprising given the Whip's large radial tires that measure P195/50R15. With these tires, the Whip should have plenty of mechanical grip, and therefore feel sportier. It doesn't feel sporty at all. These ride issues must be solved before NEVs and HSVs like the Whip will be considered as a household's second or third vehicle.
The low-speed Whip goes on sale later this year at an expected price of under $20,000. This is real-car money even with the 10-percent Federal tax credit for NEVs. Representatives from WheeGo know that buyers could buy a Smart ForTwo (or almost two Nissan Versas) for the cost of one Whip NEV. As a company, WheeGo believes that the vehicles they expect to sell will go to a group of buyers who want to drive an electric vehicle and nothing else, so totally rational transportation decision making won't necessarily be at work here.
WheeGo president Jeff Boyde told us in a matter-of-fact tone, "We're not in competition with General Motors or Toyota. We're just in the game, and it's better to be in the game rather than sitting around watching. Our business model doesn't require high volumes to be successful, and we think we're on to something with the Whip."
WheeGo hasn't announced pricing for the high-speed version of the Whip (due next year after crash certification is achieved), but after figuring in a $7500 Federal tax credit, they hope to have an out the door price in the low $20,000 range.
While we can't claim to know if WheeGo's expectations are reasonable, our exposure to the Whip did prove that it's a real car with the potential to satisfy a limited number of American drivers.