Green Think City Electric Cars Used in Indiana

Think City all electric cars are now in the fleets of Duke Energy and Indianapolis Power and Light Company. Recently the State of Indiana also took delivery of the small zero emission vehicles for use in some State Parks. The cars are manufactured in the Think facility in Elkhart, Indiana. The lithium-ion batteries are made by Ener1 Inc., another Indiana company.

The Think Company has been around since 1991. It has gone through several changes in ownership, including a four year stint with Ford being a major shareholder beginning in 1999. Serial production began then, with Ford's investing $150 million. Ford, however, sold out in 2003. The company struggled until 2006 when Norwegian investors bought the company and strengthened its management team. Production began again in 2007. The batteries for the Think vehicles are made in Indiana by EnerDel. Ener1 is the sole owner of EnerDel, part of the former Kokomo, Indiana Delphi plant.

The Think City all electric cars are designed for in town commuter use. Powered by a state of the art lithium-ion battery, it can travel 100 miles on a full charge. The company web site states that the vehicle can reach close to 100 miles per hour. Safety features are also listed, including child restraint systems, air bags, and crash resistant frame design. Most production to date has been 2 seat models, but 4 seat models are now available. A quick charge feature is also available allowing a fifteen minute plug in to provide an 80% charge on the battery.

The 17 all electric vehicles were distributed to Duke Energy who received 10 Think City cars, with the remainder going to Indianapolis Power and Light. A press release gave a feel for the car company's philosophy. "Electric utilities and their employees are a natural extension of our fleet strategy," said THINK spokesperson Brendan Prebo. "By targeting electric utilities in the early deployment of EVs, we can help address several important challenges to the successful commercialization of these cars, such as establishing residual values for batteries, the cost of installing infrastructure and understanding the local impact of charging networks on the grid. Electric utilities are impacted by all of these issues, not only as customers, but also as fuel and service providers."

The State of Indiana also received delivery of 15 of the Think City cars. These cars will be used in various State Parks by the Department of Natural Resources.

It will be interesting to see if the general public accepts and buys these or other all electric vehicles. Charging station infrastructure at some point will need to be provided. Perhaps it does make sense that the electric utility companies have received delivery of some of these cars. They will, after all, be selling the "fuel" for these vehicles.

Sources:
Think City Car Safety
Think Press Release
Bright Energy