Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009
Want your own? Sign up to be notified when/if we can get you a group purchasing discount on an electric car.
Welcome Google search visitors: This is just one of many articles produced here on a daily basis at Gas 2.0. If you find this post interesting, sign up for our RSS feed and stay up to date on the future of transportation. You can also follow the author or Gas 2.0 on Twitter.
>> Update: Think City: An Affordable Electric Car you Won’t See Until 2010
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).
My recommendation: Get yourself a plug-in hybrid as soon as they become available and then put solar panels on your roof through a community solar purchasing program.
Updates [1/28/2009]:
More Photos of the TH!NK City:
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
NO what we need is a PROPER electric car. If we would take that patent from Chevron under $10k EV’s would be QUITE practical as a second car. I spend $4500 a year on gasoline (MORE now that was at $2.69 a gallon) An electric car with JUST a 75 mile range (I drive 54 miles each way and charging at work is NOT a problem) would be more than enough. I would save $3800, $4000 A YEAR in gasoline! a PROPER under $10k EV would be FREE in 3 years time! I could just put my “gas money” into the car payment and it would not cost me a DIME a month over what I am paying now.
$25k is NOT affordable. Thats VERY VERY expensive. ($100k for the tesla is NOT expensive that what we call Ludicrous ie a fairy tale)
If we could force chevron somehow to release the battery patent I could CONVERT MY MINIVAN into a 200mile range EV for under $15k !!
I response to the wasting gas comment… There isn’t a gas shortage! In fact there are surpluses! The problem causing the high prices is’nt supply, it’s greed. Oil is being used as a cushion for people suffering from the failing economy. It’s being traded and re-traded to a point where, due to all of the hands in the pot, the price of oil goes through the roof. This, of course, doesn’t address the problem of pollution produced by these larger engines. But to complain about wasting the world’s oil is totally missing the point.
As a high schooler, I am unable to afford a car, but I would love the idea of a small electric vehicle that could take me to work, school, and to friend’s houses in town. I don’t take any roadtrips, it seems senseless to use so much gas to travel short distances…
Before alternative fuel cars that are cheap and have extremely high ranges become a reality, it would make a lot of sense for a family to own commuter cars such as this one for going to work or running to the store and then having a gasoline powered vehicle to go on long trips, at least in this transition period.
Frank: Glad you’re riding a bike when you can, but your thinking about needing to have a car that does it all is exactly the “thinking inside the box” that we have to break out of. It will happen, in time. But the best we can affordably accomplish right now is something like this. If it forces you and me to plan ahead, then it will succeed. This is exactly how car co-ops succeed: you spend a few minutes planning when and where you need to go and what you need to do, and then you ONLY do those things. You can always make other plans (just like you do when riding your bike), but we must get away from our I-must-own-at-least-one-of-everything mentality, and start “Think”ing about what’s best.
WTF: You don’t like it? You don’t have to buy it. You don’t need to be making disparaging remarks about people.
I think that the idea is to move away from engines all together, I do not think that buying 1.6 liter engines is the answer. Think about being able to just plug your car in at night, and there being 5 maybe 6 huge energy stations in the US. Those stations would be “fueling” everything.
Then if whatever source they are using for energy runs up, they can switch and move on. We as consumers would effectively rid ourselves of the energy crisis. I am all for something that uses No Gas. I see 110 miles as a temporary limitation. It will be where the next year they will boast 500 miles and then 1000 miles. Limitations in technology are just the next generations marketing terms.
Frank make a comment that might ring true with many people:
“Yes we drive under 40 miles on a typical day, but an ordinary car gives us the ability to drive much farther when we need to”
There are many large urban centres throughout North America where a city runabout would be a Godsend. I am in both categories; I would _love_ such a car to drive to work (70km round trip daily), but want greater range on the weekend. An option may be for my family to have two cars (1 gas auto) and use them efficiently. Or, I could rent a car on the weekends that I’m going out of town.
A long-range electric vehicle would be great. However, this is a good start, and it solves a serious problem. Is it a panacea? Not by a long shot.
Scores of young urbanites are on scooters for convenience and gas savings (also to be hip, but I’m trying to make a point). In towns such as Rome, you can see rows upon rows of scooters and small cars.
It’s time for North America to come to grips with the cost of everyone having a long-range gas guzzler. As these cars increase in numbers, opportunity will pop up around it. I can see an increase in ‘to your door’ delivery of rental cars for convenience. I can see ‘quick charge’ highway stops to aid in range extension. It’s not a great solution, but it is workable.
I am not a tree-hugger by any means; I just see the value of a concept that is long overdue; an urban car for an urban population. If you live in the country, I might recommend against buying such a car, since it might not work in your life. Much like I would recommend against buying a scooter for the same reason. It’s just great to have the option.
[...] in 2009! Just thought you would all be interested.. well those of use with small families. Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009 : Gas 2.0 Kinda cool that it’s made from 95% recycleable materials! __________________ SAHMama to 4 [...]
There were modifications to the EV1 (i think) that exceeded the 250 mile limit and allowed well above 65mph, and that was 10 years ago. BRING IT ON!
to: angry about wasting our fuel - there is a place for larger vehicles. I’m 6′6″ and 270 pounds. You find me a 1.5 litre car that I will fit comfortably in. Hell, most cars, I do not fit comfortably in, unless it’s for a very short amount of time. I have an SUV. I have one so my neck and back aren’t as hurt all the time and so i can actually stretch my legs out of I need too so my leg doesn’t lock up or something. If I was a smaller man, then yes, I would gladly get a small car. But unfortunately, that is not really an option.
I agree with the looks on these things. why do they hae to be so ugly? can’t they make them look like normal cars? i just don’t get it. unfortunately, a lot of us americans want something that is going to look nice. if i’m spending $25,000 on a car (which is NOT affordable by the way), then I better LOVE everything about it. Why can’t they make sports cars that have electric engines? why can’t they make SUV’s with electric engines. I’d buy an electric Explorer in a second. problem is, even with a gasoline engine, they only get 200 miles until it needs to be filled up again. if this little car will only go 100 miles before it needs to be charged again, obvioulsy a bigger vehicle will go less. I only drive about 10 miles a day so I could handle it but what if I need to drive someplace longer?
I agree - $25,000 is very spendy for what you are getting here. A “solution” car like this needs to be MUCH cheaper if it is going to make any sort of impact. I’ve been a pedestrian/mass transit person my whole life (by choice) but recently have been thinking about a vehicle.
And for mr.angry, if you’re going to generalize and bash a whole country/public, at least try to sound halfway intelligent when doing so. Jesus.