Th!nk Ox: An Electric Car With Style and Smarts
Norwegian company Th!nk is hoping to kick start the market for electric cars with its upcoming five-seater, the Ox.
Although an Ox is not what I’d call a particularly stylish or intelligent animal, don’t let the name confuse you — the Th!nk Ox could be about the most attractive and functional electric car ever designed. Before the debate starts over that claim, note the all-important “and” between the words attractive and functional.
Due out in 2010/2011, the Ox is about the size of a Toyota Prius. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.5 seconds, travel between 125 and 155 miles on a single charge, and its lithium-ion batteries can be charged to 80% capacity in less than an hour.
Solar panels on its roof power equipment such as the radio, navigation system, instrument panel, and air conditioning — even while parked with the car switched off.
The Ox is fully connected: GPS, mobile internet, a customizable digital dashboard, as well as a whole host of other modern features, all link the driver to his or her surroundings.
In April we wrote about Th!nk’s new North American partnership with venture firms RockPort Capital and Kleiner Perkins. This partnership gave rise to ThInk North America.
It may not seem like a big deal, but Rockport Capital and Kleiner Perkins have an excellent track record when it comes to choosing and investing in winners. Indeed, both firms provided much needed funding to companies such as Amazon and Google when they were mere start-ups.
These days, with the number of start-up electric vehicle companies nearing the ridiculous stage, it’s hard to know who among them will actually stand the test of time.
Yet Th!nk has positioned itself to be a promising competitor in the race, and, from the get-go, looks as if it has endurance.
Not only does Think have the backing of the above venture powerhouses, its first vehicle, the City, is already being sold in Europe for around US $25,000. Think is on track to sell about 10,000 of them there this year.
With the establishment of Think North America, the City will be available to US customers by early 2009. What does this mean for the rest of us? Given that Th!nk already has a working product and has the backing of some prestigious financiers, it looks like the Ox is for real. It’s exciting to think it might be my next car.
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Image credits: Th!nk Global
Source: Businessweek
If the top speed is around 75mph-ish I’d buy one in a second. Doing 65mph on the Arizona highways will get you killed.
Out of all the Th!nk vehicles, this one looks the most promising!
I think the solar panels on the roof to power the electronics is awesome.
I’d love to have the Ox. I only drive my car some 10 or 15 miles a week. My fiance drives more but still only 50 or 60 a week max. It would make great sense for us to go all electric. Now I just wish there were more plug in spots. I wouldn’t mind plugging in the car while I ate lunch or dinner on the road.
I would like nothing more to make this my next vehicle. But where do I take it to get it fixed?
[...] gets a car named after him! The Ox! First line of the article: [...]
Smarts yes, but not style. This car looks like anus.
How hard is it to make a good looking electric car? Tesla Motors can do it.
Could the batteries used in this car be the breakthrough everyone is waiting for?
http://www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk/home.php
Hmm, Rockport Capital and Kleiner Perkins were around in 1892 to help start up GE eh?
@ Jorge
Thank you for your good eyes and knowledge. I’m surpised no one else caught that until now. That was a typo from when that particular sentence was merged with another sentence. GE made a $4 million dollar investment in Th!nk. In editing, I got rid of that sentence but somehow I mushed them together to make a ridiculous statement that both venture firms had contributed to GE when it was a start-up.
The mistake has been fixed.
Thanks again
@Lies … usually I’d agree, but this is the first one I thought was actually cool. I’d buy it for about $10k-ish.