Right Lane Cruiser
03-17-2009, 07:42 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg The City has that crisp step-off acceleration common to all electric cars, and it feels punchy. (http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4308689.html)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Think_city.jpgLarry Webster - Popular Mechanics (http://www.popularmechanics.com) - Mar. 16, 2009
I wouldn't mind commuting in one of these! --Ed.
The electric-car company with the catchy name—Think—recently unveiled plans to re-enter the U.S. market. You might remember the brief time that Ford owned Think and the runabout electric vehicles the company sold here between 1999 and 2003. Those EVs were neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), and when compared to a real passenger car, they were a lot like glorified golf carts. The company left the U.S when Ford bailed on the project. Since then, Think has retrenched in its home country of Norway. They now have a new car, dubbed the City, that the company believes could satisfy the needs of many U.S. commuters. With increased focus in Washington on electric vehicles—and the possibility of large EV tax credits—Think could ride the wave of EVs that many think will reshape our car fleet. The company's even planning on building its cars here. Let's check out the details.
The Specs
The two-seat City is a foot longer and a few inches wider than the current poster-boy of pint-size cars—the Smart car. The company claims it weighs 2300 pounds, which seems like a lot for such a tiny tot.
But of course this EV has to haul around 500 pounds of batteries. For use in the City, Think currently installs either a lithium- or sodium-based battery with about 25 kilowatt-hours of storage capacity. In both cases, the batteries lie under the floor of the car, with their own steel structure that's meant to accommodate more than one type of battery. The idea is to remain flexible in case a new battery technology emerges.
The plastic body hangs on a separate aluminum structure that bolts to the battery chassis. The company claims that the car meets all current European crash regulations and will also meet U.S standards.
So in other words, it will be a real car, fit for highway use. Some upgrading will be required, however, for the... http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4308689.html
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Think_city.jpgLarry Webster - Popular Mechanics (http://www.popularmechanics.com) - Mar. 16, 2009
I wouldn't mind commuting in one of these! --Ed.
The electric-car company with the catchy name—Think—recently unveiled plans to re-enter the U.S. market. You might remember the brief time that Ford owned Think and the runabout electric vehicles the company sold here between 1999 and 2003. Those EVs were neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), and when compared to a real passenger car, they were a lot like glorified golf carts. The company left the U.S when Ford bailed on the project. Since then, Think has retrenched in its home country of Norway. They now have a new car, dubbed the City, that the company believes could satisfy the needs of many U.S. commuters. With increased focus in Washington on electric vehicles—and the possibility of large EV tax credits—Think could ride the wave of EVs that many think will reshape our car fleet. The company's even planning on building its cars here. Let's check out the details.
The Specs
The two-seat City is a foot longer and a few inches wider than the current poster-boy of pint-size cars—the Smart car. The company claims it weighs 2300 pounds, which seems like a lot for such a tiny tot.
But of course this EV has to haul around 500 pounds of batteries. For use in the City, Think currently installs either a lithium- or sodium-based battery with about 25 kilowatt-hours of storage capacity. In both cases, the batteries lie under the floor of the car, with their own steel structure that's meant to accommodate more than one type of battery. The idea is to remain flexible in case a new battery technology emerges.
The plastic body hangs on a separate aluminum structure that bolts to the battery chassis. The company claims that the car meets all current European crash regulations and will also meet U.S standards.
So in other words, it will be a real car, fit for highway use. Some upgrading will be required, however, for the... http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4308689.html