If you're eager to get your hands on an EV but don't have the money for a Tesla or Mini-E, the time to wait for a Mitsubishi iMiEV or the smarts to build your own, the guys at Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles may have just the ticket - an electric car that looks a lot like a Smart and costs $19,000.

Ruff & Tuff has teamed up with China's Shuanghuan Automobile Company to bring the little EV to America as early as next spring. The two companies hope to break into the budding market for EVs that are (relatively) inexpensive, safe and cool enough for urban environs. The way they see it, the time is right to bring an affordable EV to the masses.

"There is a perfect storm of macro-events that are causing people around the world to take inventory of their personal habits and their effect on the environment ... and RTEV is entering the marketplace at this pivotal time," says company CEO Mike McQuary.

Although the Wheego Whip is capable of 60 mph, it'll be restricted to neighborhood electric vehicle status and limited to 25 or 35 mph, depending upon the state, until the feds sign off on its crashworthiness. That isn't expected until 2010, by which time several cities will have some serious EV infrastructure in place.

The Whip, which will be called the E-Noble everywhere else, is made in China and based on the gas-powered Noble that Shuanghuan already builds. Once the cars arrive in America, Ruff & Tuff will do the final assembly, fine-tune the drivetrain and program the controller. No one involved in the venture provided much in the way of details about the Whip beyond saying it will use AMG dry cell batteries that provide a range of 50 miles.

This partnership wants consumers to see EVs as more than golf carts or toys for the rich. They want you to drive your Wheego Whip to work. "The long-held assumption has been that electric vehicles are quirky and impractical for everyday use, and are of interest to only a small group of eco-friendly consumers,” McQuary said. Their plan may be just ambitious enough to work.

Photos by Ruff and Tough Electric Vehicles.