THINK to Begin Selling City Electric Car in New York

Nissan focuses its Leaf intro on the West Coast.
Think counters with an East Coast intro for its City.



NEW YORK, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, pioneering electric car
company THINK announced plans to begin selling the THINK City, one
of the world's first highway-capable electric vehicles (EVs), in New
York and other select cities later this year.  THINK and the U.S.
Department of Energy's local Clean Cities chapter are working together
to bring the THINK City electric vehicle to customers in New York.  
"New York is a logical early market for the THINK City in the U.S.,"
said THINK CEO Richard Canny.  "New York ranked third on our EV-
Ready Cities Index based on the great fit of EVs for city driving and
the strength of state and local government support."  

Today, New York City officials and several New York fleet operators
had a chance to test drive the zero-emissions electric car at a drive
event on Pier 7 in Brooklyn. The sophisticated lithium-ion battery
system that gives the car its range and reliability is made in the U.S.
by New York's own Ener1, Inc., one of the city's leading clean
technology companies.

More here.

April 1, 2010/CNET News -- Think's electric cars to roll into New York

Think will begin selling its all-electric City cars in the New York
metropolitan area within the coming months, the company said
Thursday.

Think's City model is a highway-legal electric vehicle that runs solely
on a lithium ion battery system and gives off zero emissions. The car,
which has a top speed of 60 mph, can be charged from either a
standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, or a fast-charging 220-volt
station that can be installed for home use. The small two-door car,
clearly intended for city driving and parking, has a battery system
with a range of about 112 miles per charge.

Via the fast-charging 220-volt station, a Think City car can charge
from zero to 80 percent capacity in about 15 minutes. However, using
a standard household outlet can take up to eight hours.

Think's U.S. battery supplier, EnerDel, has been held up to the public
as an example of the U.S. stimulus package working successfully. The
Indiana-based battery manufacturer, which also has deals with Volvo,
Nissan, and Fisker Automotive, received $118.5 million in U.S.
stimulus grants. The money to expand its production facilities is
estimated to create 1,700 jobs.

More here.

More info on Think/Enerdel.

 

The big question:
"Can you have sex in this car?"
(Answer at 3:00)

:cheer2:

 

Re: Plug In America Test Drives the THINK City

The lithium ion Think City will have an EPA estimated range of 112
miles with a real-world driving range of a probable 100 miles --
comparable to that of the trusty Toyota RAV4 EVs some of us are still
driving. Test driver and PIA videographer Colby Trudeau quipped that
since the Think will have over a 100-mile range, "It should be called
the Think County. It's really an around-the-county car because you can
go anywhere within a 50-mile county radius."

...Although I found the Think to be well appointed with good fit and
finish, and I loved the spunky spirit of the thing, I'm probably not the
most unbiased nor the best test driver for this electric car. I freely
admit it: When it comes to sheer speed and torque, the Tesla roadster
has spoiled me rather rotten. But I admit this too: The pint-sized
Think City is a smooth, stylish-in-its-own-right, much improved urban
ride that will likely join other mass-produced plug-in cars on the road
to America's hopefully brighter transportation future.

More.

 

You bet your sweet bippy:

 

Think City EV being built NOW in Elkhart, IN

Elkhart goes to work building the world's best-selling electric car :cheer2:

Right now, 220 of the small cars, colored red, blue or black, are
aligned on the factory floor in neat rows and are in various stages of
completion. A handful of workers move from vehicle to vehicle, quietly
installing parts.

Think plans to produce 300 cars in Elkhart before the end of the year,
said company spokesman Brendan Prebo. Buyers are making orders to
add the cars to their fleets, including Indianapolis-based Energy
Systems Network which wants to purchase 200 of those initial cars for
its Project Plug-IN program.

In 2011, production will jump to 2,000 or 3,000 vehicles, Turner said.

I don't like that word "fleet."

It suggests that the initial release of the Think City will be, like the Ford
Transit Connect BEV, only to commercial users. Sales to consumers
maybe a year later.

Read more.

FWIW, The THINK City Electric Car - all electric and highway safe

 

THINK's City Sales/Distribution Plan

11/24/2010
TORRANCE, CA - THINK, a Scandinavian electric vehicle (EV) maker, plans to launch its
THINK City vehicle in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2011, according to Michael Lock,
chief marketing officer. THINK designs, develops, manufactures, and markets full battery
electric vehicles (BEV) and electric vehicle technologies, and has been doing so since the
early 1990s.

The THINK City, a modern urban vehicle, will be released in the U.S. as a two-seater model,
providing "healthy" cargo space, said Lock.

While 75 percent of its four-seater model sales in Europe have been derived from fleet
over the past year, Lock said the company plans to initially target the U.S. retail market
when it arrives in the U.S. next year with an MSRP ranging from approximately
$32,000-$33,000 (without incentives).

THINK City is highway-certified and can travel at a top speed of 70 mph and a 100-mile
range, Lock said. The vehicle weighs 2,200 lbs. Standard structural features of the
THINK City include the steel load bearing under-structure, plastic body panels, McPherson
front suspension, torsion rear suspension, front wheel drive with electric powertrain, and
single speed reduction gearbox...

THINK is in the process of determining its distribution channel and does not currently
have a dealer network. The company plans to market the vehicle in less conventional
methods, avoiding traditional auto show events. "We're working on developing a
separate channel of distribution where you don't feel like you're going to a car dealer,"
said Lock.
Read more.

I wonder what they're thinking about for distribution/sales...
* treat it like a appliance and retail it at BestBuy...
* the back pages of The New Yorker, Smithsonian, Audubon, magazines
* mini-boutique stores a la Starbuck's
* a cozy corner at REI

Ahh, found it! Here's THINK's distribution strategy and plan:

Lock also revealed some of the previously missing critical details of the rollout—most
notably the price: just below $34,000 before incentives. He confirmed that 300 pre-sold
Think City cars will be delivered to fleets in Indiana and Maryland before the end of
this year. By the middle of next year, Lock said, Think will complete its assembly
plant in Elkhart, Ind. and offer the first units to private customers.

Lock said that Think will sell just 2,000 to 3,000 cars in 2011 via three to five branded
stores in highly targeted city locations. The stores will probably be located in Southern
California, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Washington, DC and Indianapolis,
near where the company will assemble the cars and where generous consumer incentives
will be available.

Competing Against Majors, In Cities

The Think City will find those 2,000 to 3,000 customers, according to Lock, if it's
positioned as a city car rather than an all-purpose vehicle, like the similarly priced
Nissan LEAF. What are the advantages for urban drivers? First, the Think City is small,
only a foot longer and a few inches wider than a Smart ForTwo. “I have a whole list of
cities, where there is hub of urban population who are saying I want utility, cleanliness,
ease of use, and I want a low stress experience.” He said the Think is also quick and
quiet, and has great visibility (via a large glass rear door) for parking, reversing, and
darting about town. The car’s plastic-panel body is scratch and ding resistant. “The
last time I looked, urban driving has become a contact sport,” Lock said.

Read more.

Now I wonder where I might find/contact the aforementioned THINK City fleets in
our beloved Merlin for a look-see and ride-along test drive.