Rokeby said:
Can you take a minute or two to tell us why you remember this
peculiar little EV with such fondness...
Where were you in Europe when you owned it, etc?
What impressed you the most... the least?
How was the dealer/manufacturer support?
Miles/kilos per charge?
Ford offered the Think City for $199/mo lease in late 2001, on a 33-month lease; they were competing with GM's EV-1, and both companies were facing a potential mandate from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), later repealed, which would have forced carmakers selling in California to sell a minimum number of zero-emission vehicles.
The 2001 Think City had lead-acid batteries, a top speed of 55 mph, and an effective range of about 40 miles. No A/C, manual windows and door locks, and two (2) seats. It had a huge rear cargo area, with a convenient bumper-to-roof hatchback that easily held a full Costco haul. My wife and I loved it, and she sobbed quietly at lease-end when Ford sent a flatbed tow to take it away. The only maintenance it ever needed was an annual free battery check (full discharge/recharge), for which we got a loaner Think from the dealer.
The car resembled nothing so much as an Igloo cooler on wheels (note avatar pic to the left); the body was made of plastic (for recyclability) over a metal frame. The roofline was fully a foot higher than most sedans, making it easy to find in a parking lot filled with Accords, Camry's, and Taurus's.
We've waited patiently for the market and manufacturer's to come back with a 'real' EV, and we were thrilled to take delivery of our Leaf last month.
