Wheego NEV

In the early days of EV adoption, there was a lot of companies trying to get in early on the ground floor. However, homologation of these EV's was more difficult than most start-ups had imagined. This led to a unique niche of vehicles known as NEV's. these vehicles were limited to city speed limits of 35mph and were only allowed on smaller city streets. 

One such company was Wheego. The Wheego Whip was produced in California using a Chinese vehicle shell. That shell was then fitted with an EV power train. When Wheego could not achieve US homologation on their own, they reached out to Vantage Vehicle International. As the senior automotive engineer for Vantage Vehicle International, it was my task to review the vehicles road worthiness and ensure it met US standards for homologation. This involved intense study of US EV rules at the time and FMVSS standards. In accordance with US FMVSS standards, I wrote upa full report of what was needed to meet the FMVSS standards. This included, reflectors, lighting, tires, and much more. The outcome of this project led to me becoming one of the first engineers to have input to the EPA and FMVSS standards changes specifically for EV's, and Wheego Whip being certified for US sale.