U.S. electric car company Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles (RTEV) and
Shuanghuan Automobile Company of China will form a partnership to
produce and market affordable all-electric cars, according to a
statement from RTEV. The first automobile will be a two-seat compact
car to be launched in the United States by May 2009. The vehicle will
be known as the Wheego Whip in the United States and the E-Noble in the
rest of the world. Georgia-headquartered RTEV says the car will be
capable of speeds up to 60 miles per hour and will be sold to different
countries to meet their individual safety specifications; in the United
States, it will be initially launched as a low-speed vehicle with a
25-mile-per-hour maximum speed or a medium-speed vehicle with speeds to
35 miles per hour, depending on individual state regulations. The car
will travel 50 miles on a single charge and will be rechargeable
through plug-in to any standard 110- or 220-volt outlet. The basic
assembly for both the Wheego Whip and the E-Noble will take place in
Shijiahuang, China, with the final assembly for the E-Noble remaining
in China and that of the Wheego Whip taking place in the United States;
the company did not release information about a location for that
plant.
