In mid May, the 570 km Oslo–Stavanger route in Norway was populated by various types of low– and zero–emission vehicles, all participating in the Viking Rally. Among the manufacturers was Think from Norway, showing and testing several of their new mass produced electric vehicles at the curvy and hilly roads. The new Think City was there; a true, modern urban car, with zero emissions, low cost of ownership and silent running. Drivers of this environmentally friendly car will not be charged for road taxes along the Norwegian roads.
Think has been developing electric vehicles for seventeen years, with the Think City model as their 5th generation vehicle, hitting the road in 2008. Despite some tough years, they are now on a roll and ready for a broader market. The car was recently nominated to the prestigious Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, hosted by the Design Museum in London. The award presents the most innovative and forward looking design solutions internationally, with products like Apple´s iPhone and Nintendo WII among previous nominees. Think City was praised for both its functionality and form; "Cute–but–purposeful". Fashionable and sophisticated.
The production plant is located at Aurskog, some 50 km east of Oslo, with an annual production capacity of 5 000 cars. During 2009 the production will increase and in 2010 a new production plant is expected to start in the U.S.A. The facilities at Aurskog are powered and heated by clean and renewable hydroelectric power, and generate a minimum of waste and emissions. Think City is 95% recyclable, with materials produced in a non–polluting fashion. Many of these materials are themselves made of recyclable materials.
 The car is designed, engineered and produced to have the lowest possible carbon footprint with recyclable plastic body panels and a fully recyclable interior. They seem to have thought about every little detail towards becoming an environmentally friendly car producer. Even all the manuals and production instructions are online, making the production paper–free!
With zero local emissions and an energy efficiency three times that of a traditional combustion engine car, it is a car for the environment. Before the major launch on the 78th International Geneva Motor Show, Think began its cooperation with the world known architects of Snøhetta. Together, they have worked on designing a clear expression for what the car stands for. The result was a bubble, which represents the clean, the holistic and the earth. The bubble conceptualizes the plan of zero emission and appeared at the stand and in all the material available at the show. Snøhetta designed the spectacular outdoor stand, with big bubbles for the cars to drive in. The exhibition designers SixSides was responsible for shaping and constructing Snøhetta´s concept. |
  The first cars were reserved for the Norwegian market, followed by launches in Denmark and Sweden. In February two Think City was delivered to the Royal Court in Sweden. Suitably, one yellow and one blue, just like the Swedish flag. The all–electric car can travel up to 180 kilometres on a single charge, allowing the Royal Court to keep appointments without bothering about re–charging in the postal traffic between the castles. Furthermore, it has been tried out at Downing Street in London, by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Several other countries have shown a strong interest in testing the very latest in electric technology through the Think vehicles. The expansion across Europe is continuing quickly, with 500 cars delivered to the Dutch market and 550 cars planned to be delivered to Spain.
Think City is designed to meet strict safety requirements. Equipped with ABS brakes, airbags and three–point safety belts, it meets all European requirements. It is capable of running up to 100 km/hr.
A small computer called Mind Box contains both GPS and GPRS functionalities which enables seamless connectivity to the vehicle´s |
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 system. It transmits state of charge and other vehicle statistics directly to your mobile phone. Think City was pre–sold to retail consumers in Norway with a price starting at 212.500 NOK, and for the European markets the retail price will end up at around Euro 20.000, plus battery lease.
As the Think City reaches its customers, the next model was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008: The Think O. This vehicle is not available for commercial sale on the market and is one of several directions explored for the next generation electric vehicles.
Think O combines Scandinavian design and functionality with the unique Think lines and the interior is designed to give the driver a feeling of openness and comfort. With its large glass surfaces, it provides a clear view of the traffic. The transparent tailgates allow high visibility for easy city parking, just as its forerunner does. Think O will be the "connected car", featuring real time navigation, web, e–mail and open source interfaces, intelligent and sustainable driving __________________________________________________________________________  |
 and route calculations. It enables drivers and passengers to stay tuned at all times. While Think O is not yet ready for commercial sale, Think City is. The most recent marketing activity was to present it at the international COP15 climate meeting in Copenhagen last week.
Think City is a modern urban car that demands very little of you. According to the manufacturer, it doesn´t demand much more than a mobile phone. Just an overnight power top–up, and it´s ready to go in the morning. It´s even described as a fun car. So maybe they are right; it may simply be a better way of moving! |