Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
IcerocketTHiNK Electric Car Maker Again Sets Sights on the US
After a fresh round of investment, the Norwegian firm plans to bring its small, efficient vehicles back to North America
Posted 04.24.2008 at 3:49 pm
6 Comments
THiNK Ox :
Photo by THiNK North America
A Norwegian electric-vehicle manufacturer best known for a Y2K-era commuter-car venture with Ford is plotting a solo return to the states. Flush with cash from Silicon Valley angel investors RockPort Capital Partners and Kleiner Perkins, Caulfield and Byers, THiNK North America plans to start selling a version of its 95-percent-recyclable City car to US buyers starting in 2009. The company also plans to introduce the larger Ox (pictured) by 2010/2011.
Ford released the THiNK City model after buying parent Pivo Industries, in response to a California mandate requiring manufacturers to offer electric and other low-emissions vehicles. The minicars had a charge range of 50 miles and a top speed of 55 mph, but could only seat two people and virtually zero IKEA furniture. By 2002, Ford had sunk $123 million into the program after canning it amid a weak demand. After some coaxing by activists, Ford shipped the lease-returned vehicles back to Norway -- thus avoiding a similar debacle to that which tagged GM as a killer of electric cars. The latest CIty can reach a top speed of 65 mph and can travel up to 110 miles on a charge.[via TH!NK North America]
6 Comments
To comment, please login.
Popular Tags
Cars
Regular Features
PPX: The PopSci Predictions Exchange
RSS Link
Cars
-
Hybrid Cars More Than 40 Percent of Vehicles Sold
Will hybrids make up more than 40 percent of the cars sold in the U.S. by 2015?
-
Chevy Plug-In Hybrid Produced
Will Chevrolet begin selling a vehicle based on the Volt sequential plug-in hybrid concept by the end of 2010?
Ready to bet on the future? Start here!
Featured
Cars
How It Works: Tomorrow's Hybrid
A plug-in concept from Volvo brings the power inside the wheels for increased efficiency and extra mileage
Blasts From the Past at the New York Auto Show
At this year's NYIAS, nostalgia is king. Launch our gallery to see why
Popular on Popsci
Most Viewed
Cars
- One Man's Hand-Built Supercar
- Ducati: Leaner and Meaner
- How It Works: Tomorrow's Hybrid
- The Uragano: One Man's Hand-Built Supercar
- GM Vice Chairman Calls Global Warming A "Total Crock of S**t"
- The Race to 100 MPG
- Detroit Auto Show 2008 In Photos
- Highlights from NYIAS 2008
- New Rides in New York
- Racing the Nissan GT-R: In Any Other Car, You'd Be Dead Now
Most Commented
Cars
- GM Vice Chairman Calls Global Warming A "Total Crock of S**t"
- A Ferrari-Killing...Volkswagen?
- Farewell, Accord Hybrid - We Hardly Knew Why Ye Existed
- How It Works: Tomorrow's Hybrid
- Counting Down the Gallons
- Avoiding Pedestrians With the Help of Lasers
- Not All Fuel Standards Are Created Equal
- One Man's Hand-Built Supercar
- Traffic Jams on Open Highways
- PopSci Test Drive: The Chevy Equinox
Most Emailed
Cars
- New Rides in New York
- How It Works: Tomorrow's Hybrid
- Test Drive Gallery: Lamborghini Reventon
- GM Vice Chairman Calls Global Warming A "Total Crock of S**t"
- Born to be Mild
- When Automotive Design Goes Bad
- Inside the Mercedes C300
- Driver's Education
- Green Machines in Detroit
- Detroit Auto Show 2008 In Photos
Subscribe for 2 free issues!
Today on PopSci.com
Copyright © 2007 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Comments
Electric, not electic.
0 out of 3 people found this comment helpfulWhat is the price? When will it be available? What is the battery lifetime?
Instead of cutting and pasting text from the company's press releases and web site, why not interview a some company officers and provide some useful information?
We're getting sick of all these "green" pipe dream reports. Give us something REAL.
2 out of 2 people found this comment helpfulDotNetProgrammer: Are you really that unfamiliar with the concept of a blog?
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpfulonce again...a very short distance car that has absolutely no help to americans.....what if you have to drive more than 2 hours?...stop and charge for a day?
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpfulWhether or not this car will be successful or not depends on what it will cost, the battery's lifespan, and the cost of battery replacement. I would be willing to tolerate a 100 mile limitation if the car is cheap enough.
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpfulI think commute cars should follow the cell phone model.
Small commute cars should be bought like cell phones with monthly fees. After two years, you can exchange the car with another one which will have the latest upgrades in technology.
The dealer can recycle what it can. This forces the manufacturer to create a component based car which can be easily upgraded, perhaps at the dealership.
This creates cheap cars, with the latest technologies, which will some day drive themselves to work or locally around town.
We may still "own" a luxury car for long trips using fuels like hydrogen, ethonal or gasoline. But the bulk of energy will get shifted to electrical grid which will require more Nuclear plants, solar farms, wind farms etc...
3 out of 3 people found this comment helpful