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
65mph? The only time I drive that slow is when I’m merging onto the freeway! I’m just kidding, but seriously, that would be a big factor into why I wouldn’t buy this car. Plus, since we Americans are in love with our SUVs, I’d be afraid to drive this and get into an accident. I’d look like a pancake in between two big cars. If they made this car actually look like it could withstand a major accident acceptably and could go even 5 mph faster, I would consider getting one.
I’m glad to see someone putting out a affordable alternative to the big automakers. The hybrids of today aren’t worth the money for the fuel they save often taking 7 - 10 years to recoup any money saved in fuel. And I think it’s rather obvious that the claims of more power plants and higher water usage made against electric cars is just claims by the Auto and oil companies. Plasma t.v.s, home computers and mega home stereo systems draw a lot more power than an electric car charged at night and yet you’ve never seen any data done about concerns of new power plants nor water used to supply power to these type of devices. It’s time for a shift in the way we travel daily, and the auto companies need to get on board or be left behind, as for oil companies they can kiss my ass. We can see thru their lies and propaganda, we just need a president that’s not an oil man.
first off, if your buying one of these vehicles it becomes your main car, then you keep a reasonable 2nd car for long term travel, something like a corolla or yaris a vehicle that still gets 35 - 40 mpg. even then you can do a lot to improve the fuel efficiency.
This is a great concept car. I am a greenie and a mom. Seating children in the retractable back seat, with no real rear collition protectiob could be very dangerous.
Prius still ahead in family safety
Have a look. It’s been, and is being, done to death.
Why has it not worked?
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Vehicles/vhehicles.htm#NewKawEV
While I’m in love with the Tesla Roadster, I am not a rich woman. Nice to know there are more affordable alternatives in the world.
Dagny McKinley
http://www.onnotextiles.com
organic apparel
I am excited that electric cars are finally going to be available soon. A non-carbon emmitting automobile would reduce my output significantly since I drive quite frequently for my career.
To continue the efforts I made on Earth Day, I am trying to find some easy, simple things I can do to help stop global warming. Has anyone seen the http://www.EarthLab.com is promoting their Earth Day (month) challenge, with the goal to get 1 million people to take their carbon footprint test in April? I took the test, it was easy and only took me about 2 minutes and I am planning on lowering my score with some of their tips.
I am always looking for places to find more tips for living more environmentally friendly. If you know of any other sites worth my time let me know.
Why on earth can’t these come a little bit sooner. 2009 seems too far away. I wonder which motor car companies have their hands in these projects.
Bring it on! I ready to be part of the solution, no longer part of the problem.
Steve
http://www.iphonebysteve.com
Pease add an overhead solar panel to suppliment electric power.