Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009
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While we love hearing about sweet rides like the $100K Tesla Roadster, a functional and economical electric car made for the rest of us would be even cooler.
This could be it: the Th!nk City electric car, a four-seater with 110 mile range and top speed of 65 mph, priced under $25,000, made from 95% recyclable materials, and available in the U.S. in 2009.
The Th!nk City electric car is the product of Norwegian firm Th!nk Global, an auto manufacturer backed by Silicon Valley funding who has plans to assemble the cars in Southern California. In contrast to Tesla’s limited release of 300 cars per year, the Th!nk City is designed for mass production to the tune of 30-50,000 units within a few years. Th!nk already produces about 10,000 of these cars in Europe annually.
As an interesting aside, Ford Motor Company originally developed the vehicle, but (in a move they may soon regret), sold it to Norwegian investors in 2003. Why is it so cool? Because most of us don’t drive more than 40 miles in a day, and small electric cars are optimally suited for congested city driving. The benefits are pretty obvious, but if you’re worried about getting out for the weekend with the Th!nk City, don’t. Use it for city driving and keep that gas-guzzling SUV for forays into the mountains. You’ll still come out ahead.
Safety-wise, the Th!nk City meets the strict safety requirements of both Europe and the US as a highway-safe road car. ABS brakes, airbags, side-impact bars, and an advanced frame designed to absorb energy and distribute it away from the passenger’s compartment make it another blow to the myth that bigger cars are inherently safer.
If recent sales trends toward smaller vehicles are any indication (sales of Toyota Yaris up 70%), the Th!ink city could be very popular when released in the US.
Check out a few more pictures (below), and learn more from Th!nk’s website.
Addendum: Are plug-in electric vehicles a perfect answer to our transportation problems? I think you’ll see from the comments below that no, they aren’t. As one reader pointed out, dead batteries in the Th!nk City could take up to 10 hours to charge. That’s not only inconvenient, but putting 50,000 of these on the road could cause serious power draw (see Plug-In Hybrids Could Require 160 New Power Plants By 2030 (Or None At All and Plug-In Hybrids Use Over 17 Times More Water Than Regular Cars, Researchers Say). Since such a large portion of US power generation comes from coal, the increasing use of plug-in hybrid and electric cars will require serious consideration of other energy sources (for example, see How Solar Panels Could Power 90% of US Transportation).
Related Posts on Electric Cars:
- An Electric Car You Can Buy Today: The $20K TRIAC EV
- Aptera’s $26,000 Electric Car and 300 MPG Hybrid Coming Soon
- Tesla Motors Sues Fisker Automotive Over Electric Car Design
- Tesla’s First Electric Vehicle, 2008 Roadster, Now Under Production
- Subaru Unleashes R1e Electric Car on New York
- Chevy Volt’s Lithium-Ion Batteries Road- Tested By Month’s End
- Get 120 MPG Out of Your Prius (Plug It In)
- The Sporty Future of Electrics Cars: the Lightning GT
Photo Credits: Th!nk
This situation is simple: The world is becoming rich enough that just about everyone wants a car. We’re in a global oil auction, and there are a limited number of suppliers. Electric cars MUST take the place of many gas-based cars, or this auction will just keep escalating. This has nothing to do with the environment or ridiculous global warming garbage. It’s about our freedom to continue living the sort of lifestyle we want to live. I want to be able to drive whenever I want and not panic over every fillup. And as for the European who said oil belongs to mankind: We don’t live in a world commune, buddy. Learn something about private property rights and economics! Whoever owns the oil, owns it, not mankind. Now let’s screw those people, put up the nuke plants, and develop electric cars!
I have 4 kids at three different schools and I am driving them to and from everyday within a 5 mile radius.they would ride their bikes but there are very high traffic areas. I would love an electric car that will seat six and go more that 16 mph.( golf carts)
I personally think that electric cars are a good thing because it doesn’t effect the enviroment and it still gives us the luxurey to go far places easily.
The only thing that disturbs me about this particular car is the design. It looks kind of stupid, like it should be in a cartoon or something.
I’v seen what tesla looks like and it’s pretty sweet, but to expensive.
If tesla can look that cool then the manufactures of other electric cars can design something just as appealing but at an afordable price.
If this car was 15k, i would buy a solar panel with it to use that to recharge with. With 25k, ill just have to live with plugging it in. What would be cool is attaching a solar panel (200 watt solar panels only weigh like 44 pounds) to the hood of the vehicle to recharge when its not in use.
I live in a small town where you can bike wherever u need to truly go to but visiting neighboring towns to visit friends would be so much easier with this car. I dont care if it costs 25k, ill figure out some way to pay for it, kidneys are going for what, 60k now a days?.
A cheaper electric car would be great, and since we would be using less coal and oil, there would be more oil for large transport vehicles and coal electricity plants. We shouldve stuck with the EV1 and REV4 EV instead of having them destroyed. If we developed that technology from then to now, we would be driving fast, and more efficient electric cars. Batteries would be better since we would be developing stronger and more efficient ones.
I would almost certainly buy a Think City, I’m a consultant and drive about 100 miles a day on average to several clients. The distance I drive is on the outer limit of this cars range but I would still do it IF:
Cost was under $25k including everything. I just wouldn’t buy one if I Had to lease or rent anything, namely the battery. I want to buy it so I wouldn’t have to worry about it being taken away from me, I guess I’m a little paranoid due to GM, Honda and others cancelling leases and crushing cars.
If it cost $25k and I had to pay a battery rental of $200/mo that makes it equivalent to a $35k to $40k car, that is too much.
Right now I drive a paid off ‘04 Hyundai Accent and average over 40mpg, I really want the numbers to work for a car like this but I’m not going to loose money either.
Most people dont care about being green but they do care about the price of fuel. IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO GET OFF OF OIL, YOU NEED AN EV THAT LOOKS CONVENTIONAL,AND ACTS CONVENTIONAL. SIZE, SPEED, AND RANGE. NOT MOST OF THE FAR OUT DESIGNS THAT MAKE A VW BUG LOOK CONVENTIONAL, AND GOES 50 MPH WITH A RANGE OF 120 MILES. BY THE WAY, MAYBE WE SHOULD BLAME THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR HIGH OIL PRICES. OUR GOV. REPS WHO STOPED US FROM DRILING, OR BUILDING NUCULAR POWER PLANTS,OR REFINERS. FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS. HIGH GAS PRICES WILL SPURE ALTERATIVE R&D AT THE EXPENCE OF THE MASSES, WHO ARE FORCED TO PAY HIGH FUEL PRICES UNTIL ALTERNITIVES COME ON LINE.
I would definately buy a car that would be fuel efficient, or electric for that matter, but no car manufacturer makes these for tall people. I can not fit in anything I would want to save gas with. These manufacturers need to take into account that many Americans are much taller then people in other parts of the world!
electrics will be pluged in the evenings and nights when power plants, are basicly not being run hard so no new plants would be needed as some think.
For what it is worth…For the past 10-15 years I have bought luxury or near luxury cars, my present car being a ‘06 Acura RL, gets about 18-19 miles combined driving and it’s costing me about $300/month to drive to work….as soon as there is a viable electric car I am selling my RL and buying the electric. I don’t care what it looks like as long as I do not have to fill up with gas. I am fed up with the oil producers, refiners and speculators…I am going to buy electric and fill up with solar panels and tell all those oil people where to go and how to get there. I never thought I would give up my vanity but I have and it is here to stay.
Getting closer but still no cigar. Think I’ll hold onto my Civic VX for a few more years… Buy for $4K and gets 50mpg. No better value than that yet.