I don’t know about you but I find the thought of a car manufacturer in Norway a little unusual but that’s what Think is … a car manufacturer from Norway. Not only are they from Norway but they plan on building a car manufacturing plant in the United States and an announcement about where it will be located could be made as soon as next week.
But wait, there’s more … Think doesn’t make conventional vehicles, Think makes electric vehicles and has been doing so since 1999 and now there are thousands of models of the Think City roaming the streets of Europe. 1999 is also the point in Think’s history where Ford got involved and injected a large amount into research.
Unfortunately Ford’s involvement didn’t last long and Ford sold the Think company off in 2003. In 2006 Think changed hands once more and now the company is owned by a group of Norwegian investors who are prepared to take Think to the world.
The Think City
The Think City is this company’s flagship. It’s a 2-seater electric car that produces zero emissions and is so environmentally friendly that even the body is made out of recyclable plastics. The current Think model is designed to take either sodium or lithium based batteries.
When the vehicle is released for sale in the United States the battery pack will not be part of the package you buy when you purchase the vehicle. Instead Think will own the batteries and lease them to Think City owners. Only time will tell whether that’s a system that buyers will be comfortable with but Think aren’t the only ones who are contemplating leasing the battery to buyers … Nissan is also considering that for their electric car, the Leaf.
Think Concept Cars
It seems that you’re not a car maker unless you have a concept vehicle and Think have two. The first is the Think Open and it’s built on the current Think City platform. Taking the top off certainly does make a point about just how small the Think City really is.
The second concept car from Think is the Think O. This is a larger vehicle than the Think City and will seat 5. It first appeared at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show and there are currently no plans to put it into production. However it could be that this electric car will hit the production line some time in the future.
Of course the burning question about the Think City is just how far this car can travel before it needs a recharge and unfortunately that’s not a question that the Think website answers.