Wink Motors Sprouts Little Neighbourhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) With Solar Options - CEO Mark Dweck

Mark Dweck, founder and CEO of Wink Motors, has been a successful importer and a car nut since high school in Brooklyn, New York. He searched for quality DOT-compliant suppliers to import neighbourhood electric vehicles (NEVs) fully equipped with great features to make them affordable and adorable.

"Before the pandemic, I was searching for something that could be revolutionary - that would change society and be a big hit. I never went for the small deals," says Dweck.

"I looked at a lot of these car companies. They have been hyping for years - collecting deposits from what I call victims. Most of those cars are never going to come to market. If they do, it will be when you are 93 years old. So they are pie in the sky. I am a practical person and a real car nut. I'm also a really experienced importer. I probably imported over a billion, maybe $2 billion worth of product." 

"I discovered that there were inexpensive vehicles in China. Do I reinvent the wheel? No. I searched for the top models. And then I searched for a proper factory," he says.

"I'm very experienced. With fortune 50 companies it is all about quality. It is all about compliance. With vehicles, it is DOT compliance," he adds.

"Quality claims cannot be casually trusted. It is check and verify." 

He sent his representatives to the factories for samples. Then the samples were tested.

Components were sent to an international testing company that tests for GM and Tesla, and other automakers for safety, quality and compliance.

"We created the name 'Wink', with casual market research - because we think that the name is fun." .

"First there was a Model T. Then there was a Volkswagen Bug. Now there's a solar-powered Wink," he says about the Wink.

He explains that the majority of US road trips are three or four miles. Most of those trips are around town. In New York City, the average speed is about 7.8 miles mph. In Manhattan, the average speed is 4.8 miles an hour.

Hitting The Mark

Winks are neighbourhood electric vehicles. NEVs can only go up to 25 mph (40 km/h) and are only allowed on US roads with speed limits posted up to 35 mph (56 km/h).

Competitor base models do not come with doors and air conditioning. Adding those features makes them over $20,000 says, Dweck.

Wink models are more competitively priced and come with many more amenities.

There are two model lines of Wink vehicles -  the Sprout and hatchback Mark (named after himself) starting at $8995 for the Sprout and $10,995 for Mark, each with a $1000 upgrade to the Sprout Solar and Mark 2. They plug into traditional 110 electric outlets.

The two-door Sprout models feature a 60 Volt 60 AH battery with a range of 40 miles / 64 km that will fully charge in 6 hours.

The Mark 1 and Mark 2 models have 60 Volt 80 AH batteries with a 60 mile / 96 km range. Solar panels can add up to 150 miles/ 240 km per week on the Sprout Solar and 100 miles/ 160 km per week and the Mark 2.

Buying Low And Selling Low

The vehicles come with four seats, backup cameras, rear sensors, infotainment screens, glove boxes, USB chargers, dual-circuit hydraulic disc brakes, foldable rear seats, LED lighting and 7 kW peak-rated motors.

The available colours are red, white and blue. Mark 2 is the only model available in black. The batteries are safer less-flammable lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4).

"It is amazing - they all have power windows," said Dweck, "They all have three-point seat belts which exceed DOT requirements."

"Winks are zippy and very manoeuvrable - you can get through traffic very easily. The technology in Wink vehicles is proven because 15 million vehicles in China are running around with many of these components," says Dweck.

"I have always had the same approach, buy low and sell low. I'm very proud of this. We did not go to public markets to have speculators lose money with the stock, like a lot of these electric vehicles. We did it without introducing it two years before the products were available," says Dweck who notes that a shipment arrives mid-November.

The Road Ahead For Winks

So far sales are doing well. Dweck says Wink has almost sold out of the black Solar Mark 2.

"We want to deliver a pound and a half of product and service for a pound price. That is what I want to do in terms of quality and service."  The company will work with local mechanics for warranty services.

What is the future of Winks?

Dweck predicts: "We are going to do a small delivery van and a pick-up truck as well. Then possibly as a new model. We plan on refreshing the line periodically."