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*[http://thinkisthinking.com -- company blog]
*[http://thinkisthinking.com -- company blog]
*[http://en.think.no/ en.think.no -- company website]
*[http://en.think.no/ en.think.no -- company website]
*[http://www.globalpremiumcars.com -- *] Global Car
*[http://web.archive.org/web/19981205142233/http%3a//home.sol.no/~pivco/ Historic web site] c/o the [[Digital time capsule|Wayback Machine]]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/19981205142233/http%3a//home.sol.no/~pivco/ Historic web site] c/o the [[Digital time capsule|Wayback Machine]]


Revision as of 09:14, 7 July 2010

For the environmental slogan, see Think Globally, Act Locally. For the book, see Think (book).
TH!NK Global
Company typePrivate
FoundedDecember 1991
Headquarters
Fornebu, Norway and Garrison, Michigan, USA
Number of employees
300+
Websitewww.thinkev.com

Think Global is an electric car company located in Oslo, Norway, which manufactures cars under the TH!NK brand. The Th!nk City is one of the world’s only three crash tested and highway certified electric cars,[1] with the Tesla Roadster and Blade Electron being the other.

History

The company was originally founded in January 1991 in Oslo, as Pivco (for Personal Independent Vehicle Company). The first practical prototype, the PIV2, like the vehicles that followed, were built around a chassis made of aluminium and carrying a body made of polyethylene thermoplastic rotomolded in one piece. The chassis were developed by Hydro Aluminium Tonder in Tønder in Denmark and were one of the main reasons that Ford later acquire 51% of the stocks.[2] 10 of 15 prototypes were built in time for the Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games in 1994. The battery technology was NiCd, driving a three-phase AC induction motor via the front wheels.

PIV3, the City Bee.
Ford TH!NK in Museum Autovision.

The PIV2 was followed by the PIV3, the City Bee (Citi in the US), introduced in 1995. 120 of these were produced, 40 of which participated in the San Francisco Bay Area Station Car Demonstration project from 1995 to 1998.

Based on the experiences from the prototypes, Pivco then went on to develop their first true production model, PIV4, later called the TH!NK, with Lotus Cars in a consulting role. The basic construction concept from the prototypes was retained, except that the roof was made of ABS plastic, and the lower frame chassis elements were made of steel. The production model had a range of 85 kilometres (53 mi) (modified ECE101 cycle) between charges, and a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph)[3].

Development took more time and resources than anticipated, so when development of the production model was finished in 1999, finances had dried up. The company was then acquired by Ford, who could start production of the TH!NK city. Ford even embraced the TH!NK concept, and marketed electrically driven bicycles as well as golf carts under the same brand.

Production ceased in 2002, after 1005 units had been made. Many of these cars participated in station car projects in California and in New York City.

Probably due to changes in the California zero-emissions vehicle policy, Ford gave up THINK on January 31, 2003. The company was sold to KamKorp Microelectronics of Switzerland, owned by Kamal Siddiqi. Development of a successor to the City was subsequently halted. The used cars from US and UK have been re-exported[4] to Norway where they are in high demand due to the government's policy to promote the use of electrical cars (EVs are exempt from taxes, have free parking, pass toll roads for free, and are allowed to drive in the bus lanes avoiding traffic congestion).

In 2004, the company turned its attention to development of the TH!NK public, a micro size electric bus to be rented to customers for inner city travel. By February 2006, prototypes of the vehicle had been developed, but the company went into receivership.

At the end of March 2006, Think Nordic was acquired by Norwegian investment group InSpire, which includes the original founder Jan Otto Ringdal as a partner. The company was renamed THINK Global.

For the next year, the THINK website showed a restyled "new THINK City" car which was under development. An open version of the car was also pictured but the company said it had no plans to put it into production.

In March 2007, a completely new website was posted, with many more images of the new car rendered into artist's impressions and various exterior/interior photographs. This site is presented in Norwegian and English.

The original English page reported: "We are currently in the process of preparing the new THINK City for production in the fall of 2007. The new THINK city has ABS brakes, dual airbags, and meets all European and US safety requirements. It has a range of 170 km (110 mi), a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and has comfort and convenience features such as air conditioning, power steering, sun roof, electric windows and mirrors, and more".

In May 2007, Tesla Motors, maker of the electric Tesla Roadster super-car, announced an agreement to sell 43 million dollars worth of its Li-ion battery systems to THINK Nordic for use in the next generation THINK City,[5][6] but on 2 Nov 2007 it backed out of the deal.[7]

The THINK assembly line was restarted in late November 2007 to start manufacturing the re-designed City car.[8]

On March 5, 2008, General Electric, battery manufacturer A123 Systems and THINK Global announced that they had entered a partnership to enable global electrification of transportation. GE invested USD 4 million in THINK and USD 20 million in A123 Systems to help A123 roll out batteries for THINK. A123 Systems and THINK at the same time signed a commercial supply agreement. The partnership was announced at the 78th annual international Motor Show in Geneva.[9][10][11]

Also at the 2008 Geneva motor show, THINK unveiled its future five-seater, 130 km/h (80 mph) concept car, the TH!NK Ox.[12]

In July 2008, THINK introduced the THINK City for the first time in the UK.[1]

As of August 2008, some 100 City cars have been manufactured for customers in Norway. The lean plant is ready for efficient production supported by the experts of Porsche Consulting [13]

On December 15, 2008, THINK suspended all vehicle production and laid off 50% of its staff pending negotiation of up to USD 29MM in funding for working capital, citing "urgent financial distress.".[14] [15]

As of January 13, 2009, THINK Global has received a bridge loan of 40 million Norwegian kroner (~$5.69 million) to continue operation.[16] Much of that bridge loan came from one of its battery suppliers, EnerDel.

On August 27, 2009, THINK announced a successful recapitalization ($47 million) through existing and new investors, which allowed the company to exit court protection and resume normal business operations in terms of manufacturing and sales of the THINK City EV in Europe. Announced investors included battery manufacturer Ener1 in U.S. (31%); US venture capital firms RockPort Capital Partners (Boston); Element Partners (Philadelphia) and Kleiner Perkins (Palo Alto, CA) as well as Valmet Automotive based in Finland and Investinor (the Norwegian government backed investment fund). [17] On the same day, the company also announced that the THINK City electric car would be produced in Valmet later that year. The deal also included engineering. Valmet will invest around 3 million euros ($4.27 million) to the project,[18] it will also become a minor shareholder of the company.

Production of the THINK City car at Valmet Automotive started in December 10, 2009 in Uusikaupunki, Finland.[19]

On January 5, 2010 THINK announced plans to manufacture the THINK City in Elkhart, Indiana beginning in 2011. [20]

On April 6, 2010 THINK announced plans to begin selling the THINK City in the U.S. in 2010. [21]

Current and future models

TH!NK city

Th!nk City
PIV5, TH!NK city
Overview
Production2006–present
AssemblyUusikaupunki, Finland (Valmet Automotive)
Dimensions
Wheelbase1,970 mm (77.6 in)
Length3,120 mm (122.8 in)
Width1,604 mm (63.1 in)
Height1,548 mm (60.9 in)

The THINK City is a small two-seater or 2+2-seater highway capable electric car, with a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) and an in-town range of 180 kilometres (110 miles) on a full charge.[1] As of May 2010 it is one of the only three crash-tested and highway-certified electric cars in the world, together with the Tesla Roadster and the Mitsubishi i MiEV.

THINK originally planned to start deliveries to Norwegian customers in the last quarter of 2007. That target was missed, but as of August 2008, about one hundred vehicles have been completed.[13]

At the 2008 Geneva motor show, Think announced that the THINK City will be launched in Denmark and Sweden in 2008, followed by launching in the UK, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands in 2009.[22]

At the 2008 British International Motor Show at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London, THINK announced that the THINK City will be available to UK customers from the summer of 2009.[23] Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined Transport Minister Geoff Hoon for a presentation by Managing Director of Think UK.[24]

The THINK City is currently on sale in Norway, Austria, the Netherlands [25] and Switzerland.[26] The list price for the car in Norway is NOK 244,000 before optional features, which is approximately $38,000 US, or £25,400 UK, or €30,700. This price is valid only in Norway.

The car has an inbuilt charger and will re-charge from a standard 240 volt, 10 or 16amp supply in 8-10 hours.[27]

Th!nk city exhibited at the 2010 Washington Auto Show.

TH!NK Ox

Think Ox [28]

The TH!NK Ox is a concept five-seater electric car with a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) and a 100 kW motor.

The website for the Think Ox currently lists the top speed as 135 km/h (~84 mi/h) and the range as 250 km (~155 mi).

TH!NK open

TH!NK open is a 3-door, 2-seat concept car, where the roof has been removed. Top speed is 100 km/h (62 mph), with the following ranges (90 to 203 km):

  • Range IEC (European standard for calculating range of electrical cars): 170 km (summer tires, heater off)
  • Range FUDS (American standard for calculating range of electrical cars): 180 km (summer tires, heater off)
  • Range FUDS winter (typical range in particularly cold conditions) : 90 km /winter tires, constant 4 kW heater
  • Range EU UDC (range during city driving only): 203 km (126 mi)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "New TH!NK city EV Makes UK Show Debut". Worldcarfans. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  2. ^ Ford skal sælge norsk elbil i Danmark, Berlingske Tidende, 07.01.1999, 3._sektion, Erhverv, page 4
  3. ^ Automotive Industries Feb. 1999, Gerry Kobe
  4. ^ greenpeace.org Th!nk Again: Ford Does a U-Turn
  5. ^ teslamotors.com Introducing Tesla Energy Group
  6. ^ latimes.com Tesla to supply batteries for electric cars
  7. ^ greencarcongress.com
  8. ^ www.think.no
  9. ^ GE press release
  10. ^ Think press release
  11. ^ A123 Systems press release
  12. ^ Think Ox [1]
  13. ^ a b Green Wombat
  14. ^ CNBC Website
  15. ^ NYTimes Website
  16. ^ Sustainable Business
  17. ^ Blanco, Sebastian (2009-08-27). "Think exits bankruptcy, gets $47m for production move to Finland — Autoblog Green". Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  18. ^ "Metso's Valmet to start making Think electric car". forbes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  19. ^ "THINK City production starts at Valmet Automotive". valmet-automotive.com/automotive. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  20. ^ by Martin LaMonica (2010-01-05). "Think to manufacture electric cars in Indiana | Green Tech - CNET News". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  21. ^ "THINK to sell City EV in New York, followed by other U.S. cities". Leftlanenews.com. 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  22. ^ Think Geneva motor show press release
  23. ^ Think British International Motor Show press release
  24. ^ "Prime Minister Gordon Brown Samples TH!NK city EV at Downing Street". Worldcarfans. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  25. ^ "Dealers / Buy / THINK Electric Car - the all electric and highway safe THINK City". Thinkev.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  26. ^ OSLO, Norway 16 June, 2010 (2010-06-16). "THINK pioneers innovative auto retailing in Europe / Press releases / Press / THINK Electric Car - the all electric and highway safe THINK City". Thinkev.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "Charging / The THINK City / THINK Electric Car - the all electric and highway safe THINK City". Thinkev.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  28. ^ "TH!NK Ox / Photos / Picture gallery / Press & Pictures / Home - Website Interface". Think.no. Retrieved 2009-08-27.

References


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