Think moving to Oregon? All signs point to yes
One potential design for the next-gen Th!nk City
We haven't heard any official proclamation, but reports are streaming into the AutoblogGreen mailbag that say that Think will be making a move to the West Coast. We know that Th!nk wants to begin building the small all-electric vehicle in the U.S. soon, and wants to sell the car here sometime next year. The last official word was that Think was talking to a handful of states and would narrow the list down to one or two states by the end of March (when Th!nk's DOE loan application was to be turned in). It seems that Oregon made the list of finalists, since Th!nk CEO Richard Canny appeared with Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski to test out the City EV.
Reader Bob W. sent us a note that said, "On the local news tonight, it was reported that Think is looking seriously at Portland to be its site for making the Think City in the U.S. They are looking at using the Frieghtliner (Daimler) truck plant that is soon to be shut down." OregonLive says that the plant would meed Think's size requirements and that over 1,000 workers could be employed there. Th!nk's expansion plans are far from guaranteed, but at this point things are moving west. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Gallery: Th!nk City
[Source: OregonLive via Treehugger]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ElectricAid 9:03AM (4/08/2009)
So I guess its time for Oregonians to get their names on the officially unofficial waiting list for the Think City huh? =)
http://electricaid.ning.com/page/get-me-a-thnk
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Richard 1:14PM (4/08/2009)
You can see the TV report here: http://www.katu.com/news/local/42637972.html
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Yanquetino 2:10PM (4/08/2009)
The Th!nk City might not be a Model S, but it is looking better to me all the time. I was impressed by the "close-up-and-personal" videos that John B Rogers posted on YouTube, as it is apparently a more solid, well-built vehicle than one might assume from its tiny dimensions:
"First Drive in a Th!nk City Electric Car:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WD51mYkWO0
"Close Up Tour of the Th!nk City"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wleOyZGbz0s
I surmised that perhaps the videos were filmed in Oregon, but then I noticed in the first clip that Rogers shows a document on the dashboard and says something about a "special dispensation from CARB" --which I assume means they were driving on California roads with said board's permission.
Also, unless I am mistaken, he was accompanied by Mike Harrington, who was the original Vice President for Customer Service & Support at Tesla before Edison Musk started canning people. I'm thrilled to see that he is still active and well in the EV movement! Go Mike! I wish you the very best!
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Ben 5:42PM (4/08/2009)
What!!! Not Michigan!!! Waaaaaah! Please don't over look us, we want electric cars in the midwest too!!
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Charles 7:52PM (4/08/2009)
This would be great for Portland (I live there). Frieghtliner shutting down was a big hit to the local job market and left a lot of skilled workers looking for work. Also, Portland is the kind of city that would buy these up in a second. There are a lot of Smart cars putting around here. Sounds like a good fit to me.
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