Londoner gets to try out the new Th!nk city EV
Danny Fleet is a Londoner with an interest in electric cars. His attituce should come as no surprise given that EVs can avoid the city's congestion charge. Currently, Danny happens to drive one of the ever-popular G-Wiz quadricycles. Danny was lucky enough to be in the area when one of the new second-generation Th!nk city electric cars arrived fresh from the factory in Norway and he got to check it out as soon as they unloaded it from the truck. He recorded video of his tour and his first drive and came away very impressed.
The Th!nk has some pretty decent specs, starting with the fact that it's actually type approved in Europe as an actual car not a quadricycle. To get that type approval it has to be crash tested and meet safety requirements, something quadricycles don't. Th!nk claims the lithium polymer battery will provide a range of 125 miles on a charge and the top speed of 65mph. It's fitted with safety equipment like air bags, seat belts and even ABS. Th!nk will be selling the car in the UK for £14,000 and charging and extra £100 per month for a battery rental. If the charge capacity of the battery falls too low, they will replace it as part of the rental deal. Check out Danny's videos here and here.
[Source: Danny's Contentment]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mulad 2:14PM (2/29/2008)
Wow, yeah, I'm surprised I didn't know it would be classed as an actual car and not a quadricycle. I didn't know they could go that fast either. Unfortunately, that also means the company will have to do a lot of marketing to overcome those perceptions.
Yeah, the guy who made the video seems to be right: This is (er, will be) the first production EV in a long time that is a real car and not just an electric cart with doors and a roof. It also has real range, up there with the late-model GM EV1. Pretty cool.
"First" is relative, of course... I don't know when this might show up on American roads, while the Tesla will be officially getting in drivers' hands soon. Meanwhile, the Tesla won't be available in the U.K...)
Considering that if it ever showed up in the U.S., the cost of this would be 1/5 to 1/8 the cost of a Tesla Roadster (including the battery rental for 5 years), I hope they bring them over here!
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Silver 3:37PM (2/29/2008)
We need this car in Canada.
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mike 7:53PM (2/29/2008)
Looks Nice,
But, isn't it starting to get a bit pricey?
Is that UK currency symbol for the UK Pound or the Euro?
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Wave54 12:53AM (3/01/2008)
₤ is British Pounds, roughly equal to $2.00, and the euro sign is €.
That puts the car at about $28,000 US, but most cars sold in Britain cost roughly twice what the equivalent vehicle goes for in America (taxes??).
I would then expect a price under $20K (not including battery rental) if Think! produces them here.
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mikeSeven 9:20AM (3/03/2008)
Thanks for the info Wave54.
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Danny 4:37PM (3/01/2008)
They are planning to launch the car in the US in 2009 if there is sufficient demand. Not sure how much it will cost at this stage.
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ug 3:39PM (3/25/2008)
I still think the battery rental idea is a seriously flawed business model. It largely destroys the economic benefits of driving an EV.
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