Rokeby
Well-known member
All the good news about soon to be launched EVs is not coming solely
from the West Coast and the Far East. Europe's largest EV maker has
been quietly making preparations for its entry into this soon to be hotly
contested market segment:
NEW YORK, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, pioneering electric car
company THINK announced plans to begin selling the THINK City, one
of the world's first highway-capable electric vehicles (EVs), in New
York and other select cities later this year. THINK and the U.S.
Department of Energy's local Clean Cities chapter are working together
to bring the THINK City electric vehicle to customers in New York.
"New York is a logical early market for the THINK City in the U.S.,"
said THINK CEO Richard Canny. "New York ranked third on our EV-
Ready Cities Index based on the great fit of EVs for city driving and
the strength of state and local government support."
Today, New York City officials and several New York fleet operators
had a chance to test drive the zero-emissions electric car at a drive
event on Pier 7 in Brooklyn. The sophisticated lithium-ion battery
system that gives the car its range and reliability is made in the U.S.
by New York's own Ener1, Inc., one of the city's leading clean
technology companies.
More here.
April 1, 2010/CNET News -- Think's electric cars to roll into New York
Think will begin selling its all-electric City cars in the New York
metropolitan area within the coming months, the company said
Thursday.
Think's City model is a highway-legal electric vehicle that runs solely
on a lithium ion battery system and gives off zero emissions. The car,
which has a top speed of 60 mph, can be charged from either a
standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, or a fast-charging 220-volt
station that can be installed for home use. The small two-door car,
clearly intended for city driving and parking, has a battery system
with a range of about 112 miles per charge.
Via the fast-charging 220-volt station, a Think City car can charge
from zero to 80 percent capacity in about 15 minutes. However, using
a standard household outlet can take up to eight hours.
Think's U.S. battery supplier, EnerDel, has been held up to the public
as an example of the U.S. stimulus package working successfully. The
Indiana-based battery manufacturer, which also has deals with Volvo,
Nissan, and Fisker Automotive, received $118.5 million in U.S.
stimulus grants. The money to expand its production facilities is
estimated to create 1,700 jobs.
More here.
More info on Think/Enerdel.
THINK, although going about its business quietly, is not sitting on its
corporate hands:
Elkhart goes to work building the world's best-selling electric car
[11/24/10]
Right now, 220 of the small cars, colored red, blue or black, are
aligned on the factory floor in neat rows and are in various stages of
completion. A handful of workers move from vehicle to vehicle, quietly
installing parts.
Think plans to produce 300 cars in Elkhart before the end of the year,
said company spokesman Brendan Prebo. Buyers are making orders to
add the cars to their fleets, including Indianapolis-based Energy
Systems Network which wants to purchase 200 of those initial cars for
its Project Plug-IN program.
In 2011, production will jump to 2,000 or 3,000 vehicles, Turner said.
I don't like that word "fleet."
It suggests that the initial release of the Think City will be, like the Ford
Transit Connect BEV, only to commercial users. Sales to consumers
maybe a year later.
Read more.
FWIW, The THINK City Electric Car - all electric and highway safe
This leaves as yet unanswered the one question that is on some
peoples mind but most car makers would rather not address...
"Can you have sex in this car?"
(Answer at 3:00)
Test/Review of the Think City electric car
Many THINK watchers would rather that the Think Ox, which is
more nearly the size of the LEAF, were the initial offering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65SQ-hnV1IM&feature=related
