The Wink Motors Mark 2 Solar adds a good-sized solar panel to the roof of the vehicle for collecting ... [+]
Mark Dweck, founder of Wink Motors.
The Wink cars come in three main variants.
If your immediate assumption is that these are glorified golf carts, you’re wrong. While there are now a growing number of communities - many built with golf cart-based transportation in mind from the start - golf carts are not LSVs, at least in the eyes of the DOT and government in general. For one, golf carts are quite a bit slower than LSVs, and they are, well, golf carts, with all their shortcomings, including very limited street legality. Dweck says his Wink LSV models meet all DOT and NHTSA regulations, have VIN numbers and can be insured like regular cars. They just happen to be small, electric and not very fast, but he says they are faster, safer and much more useful than golf carts. Also, you can drive them on any public road with speed limits up to 35 miles an hour, instead of just around your planned community or seaside resort.
The Mark 1 model is a two-door with a hatchback that seats four.
Wink cars come with all the features of regular cars, including a center touchscreen, digital ... [+]
Wink cars also include a center LCD screen, digital instruments, radar sensors in back, DOT-spec LED lighting, wipers, rear view mirrors with video mode, rear cameras, remote locking, USB ports, power windows, and even vegan leather seats. That does not sound like any golf cart I’ve ever seen. “These are ideal commuter vehicles. Anyone with a golf cart who has driven through really hot, cold, rainy, inclement weather knows how miserable it is. Our vehicles are enclosed with air-conditioning and heat,” Dweck added. Of Wink’s four models, three are two-door hatches and the Mark 2 is a four-door machine. Every model seats four. Roomy? That will likely depend on the passengers’ inseams. For cargo duties, the rear seats fold down flat.
Seating for four is standard although legroom may be a bit tight. Rear seats fold down to carry ... [+]
With urban traffic unlikely to thin out anytime soon, Dweck thinks the market potential for LSVs is huge in urban areas. “People need a cost-effective, efficient, ecological easy-to-use mode of transportation. We see our product as truly disruptive in the world of transportation,” he said, adding that he felt the Wink could serve 80 percent of urban commuters. “In New York City the actual average speed is 7.8 miles an hour. The average speed in Manhattan, for instance, is 4.8 miles an hour. We see the market as anyone with a driver's license from the age of 16 to 85 years of age as an economical ecological concerned customer,” he said.
A large solar panel mounts up top to charge the battery while the car is parked. Since the battery ... [+]
Here in Portland, Oregon, and in many coastal U.S. cities, battery electric vehicles are everywhere now, from Teslas to Ionics to Bolts to Zeros to ebikes and even some now-vintage EVs like the Think City and the occasional electric Smart car as well, even though Smart has long departed the U.S. market. In Portland, a large relative percentage of the population gets around by bicycle, and the high rate of EV adoption is hardly surprising - and it’s one place among many Dweck thinks the cars would have broad appeal. “Our primary markets are urban, suburban, and all ages,” Dweck said. “Doing the research, we discovered that more than half of the trips traveled in the United States are less than three miles. In urban and suburban areas, the percentage of short trips is even greater.” To hit a scorching 25mph, motorvation comes from a 3,000 Watt electric motor (7,000 Watts peak) powered by a 60-Volt 80Ah lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. Dweck says the powertrain is good for 60 miles of range on average and are far less prone to battery fires as current Li-ion tech. No special charger is needed for the Wink; the cars plug into a wall outlet like a toaster and are back to full overnight for less than a dollar in electricity, ready to take on another day of errands and commuting. There’s also a solar panel option on the Sprout and Mark 2 models.
The base Wink model is the Sprout, which has a bit of a clown car vibe but rings in at under ... [+]
One statistic about American cars is that most are parked 95% of their operational lives, and it’s here that the small battery powering the Wink has an unexpected advantage over Teslas and other skateboard-based EVs with large battery packs: It can actually get a meaningful charge each day from a solar panel on the roof of the car. Dweck says his Sprout Solar and Mark 2 Solar variants, which sport a large rooftop panel that isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing add-on, can soak up enough free juice to add up to 50 to 75 miles of range per week under ideal (very sunny) conditions.
Your solar mileage may vary, but the bottom line is that if someone drives a few miles to work and then home four or five days a week, plus a quick trip to the store, gym, or to pick up the kiddos, Dweck says there’s a good chance an owner might not need to even plug the Wink in for charging. Ever. Or at least only rarely. That means that after purchasing a Wink with a solar panel up top, you could essentially fuel it for free (or very close to it) for years if you live in a sunny area. And while 60 miles may not sound like much range, it’s in line with the cars’ (and Dweck’s) simple mission: Building low cost, low-stress, safe and comfortable urban transportation that negates the need to rent scooters, ride ebikes or rely on other last-mile tech. It may be an idea whose time has come, as Dweck’s Winks are not alone in this category. Polaris sells an LSV called the GEM, but even the most basic GEM model is more expensive than the top-trim Wink machines, and most GEM models don’t include doors or windows as standard, let alone A/C, heat and all the rest. The 1,250-pound Wink cars are made in China, but Dweck, who has dealt extensively with Chinese manufacturers in the past, said he is committed to making sure the cars meet U.S.-level quality checks at every point and are both comfortable and reliable - and serviceable as needed. His says his extensive experience as an importer is key in spotting companies trying to sell him sub-standard parts, such as a windshield that he said had fake DOT approval markings and were not up to snuff. He said he knows that trying to skimp on quality or dodge DOT regs is a recipe for business disaster from unhappy customers and customs officials alike, and he won’t do it.
The Wink Mark 1 has two doors and rear hatch, and all the Wink cars can go about 60 miles on a ... [+]
Additionally, Dweck is not selling vapor, a practice he says he despises. The Wink cars actually exist, and not as prototypes or a few hand-built production machines. The Wink website went up just weeks ago, but only after a shipment of road-ready Wink vehicles was ready to unload at an American shipyard. After a hoped-for introduction with some New York City officials recently fell through, Dweck says they are still on track to officially introduce the cars in the coming weeks. The cars are available to order through the site now and show delivery in two to three weeks time. “We expect that our Winks will be released from customs and ready for shipment within the next couple of weeks,” Dweck told Forbes.com.
All-American colors (plus black) are an option, and the cars are just under 10 feet long.
But is a 25mph car truly a realistic solution for American drivers? Americans are road trip specialists and this is definitely not a cross-country option. But the reality on the ground, especially in cities, is quite a bit different. When I was in New York City recently, where the Wink models will initially debut, the traffic was... astounding. An amalgam of cars, delivery trucks, scooters, delivery ebikes, pedestrians, bicyclists, taxicabs, limos, police vehicles in pinball mode, howling firetrucks and urgent ambulances all struggled to make headway in a slow-moving motorized ballet on the crumbling, steam-stacked streets in the valleys between skyscrapers. Cyclists, scooterists, and motorcycle jockeys had it best, but even still, it was often possible to walk ten blocks faster than it could be driven. This is where the Wink LSVs would thrive, where the average speed is somewhere between ten and zero miles an hour. Ensconced in their comfy techno cabins, Wink drivers could be productive and avoid much of the hassle of walking or cycling, especially in foul weather, and never need to pop out in the rain to tank up on gas. It’s a compelling argument for the Wink LSV, and that scenario of course extends to many cities worldwide, not just Gotham. Looking out my home office window in Portland, a blustery east wind drives raindrops through the 37-degree air and semi-pressure washes the glass. Take the Vespa or ebike on errands today? Mmmm.... nope. I’m just not that hard core. If only there was a much more comfortable, maneuverable and fuel-free option to get to the store for some needed peanut butter and kale. Speed limit in my neighborhood? 25 mph on my street, and 20 on most others. Busier nearby surface thoroughfares are 30 to 35mph and the Winks are fully legal to drive on those roads as well, they just go 25 mph, and I’m happy to thread through the neighborhood to get to my stops.
Interior design has a whiff of Mini to the center but does a Mini include aimable fans? No.
Realistically, for even the most ardent greenie or urban EV fan living in a city, the Wink would likely be a second vehicle, if not the primary one. You have to leave town eventually, and highway speeds will be required at some point. But Dweck is correct in that most people drive less (usually a lot less) than 40 miles per day (the U.S. average), and typically they drive in a city where 35 mph is the speed limit for surface streets, with the average speed being quite a bit lower in typical traffic. That’s not everyone’s scenario, but it is the case for millions of city dwellers, the exact people Dweck is hoping to court with the Wink lineup. Beyond that, there are also the hundreds of planned communities that allow golf carts on their streets. Think of how many people get around those enormous Del Webb planed communities in E-Z-GOs - but can go no further than the entry gates. With a Wink, Grandma can buzz over to the store or bowling alley without needing to fire up the SUV for a four-mile trip through city traffic. Delivery service drivers can traverse neighborhoods with better visibility, safety and warmth (as needed) and quietly to boot. Teenager who have a tough enough ego to pilot a Wink could gain a measure of independence (and errand-running ability) on their way to driving full size (and full speed) vehicles.
Better than a golf cart and with modern tech throughout, the Wink cars could signal a new sub-trend ... [+]
With an MSRP starting at $8,995, the Wink costs far less than many electric motorcycles let alone full size electric cars (and some trick golf carts), and that’s before any local/state incentives that may kick in. At present, Winks don’t qualify for a federal rebate (although that could change). Even at the full-boat MSRP of $12,000, the Mark 2 Solar model retails for less than some ebikes I get in for review. Different animal to be sure, but the price is relevant and enticing for what you get. I hope to get some seat time in a Wink in the near future for a complete driving review. Stay tuned. What’s your take on the Wink Motors cars? Leave a comment below.