January 27, 2010 9:51 AM PST
by Candace Lombardi
Think City, like EnerDel, has manufacturing facilities in Indiana.
(Credit: Think)
Think announced Monday that EnerDel will be the exclusive supplier of lithium ion batteries for Think City's U.S. cars and for 60 percent of its cars sold in Europe.
The company also announced that AeroVironment will be partnering with Think in the U.S. to build a series of "very-fast-charge stations."
The result of the fast-charging stations, combined with EnerDel's lithium ion batteries in Think City cars, will be electric cars that take only 15 minutes to charge from zero capacity to 80 percent capacity, according to Think.
As previously reported, the Think City all-electric car will have a range of about 112 miles per charge. It will be compatible with both a standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, as well as a special 220-volt fast-charging outlet designed for home use.
In conjunction with Mazda, EnerDel and Think Global have already partnered on a pilot project in Japan set to start March 2010. Drivers will be able to rent all-electric Mazda2 cars (known as Mazda Demios in Japan) that will have Think drivetrains with EnerDel batteries and utilize fast-charging stations.
EnerDel, a subsidiary of Ener1, is an automotive lithium ion battery manufacturer that has become an auto industry darling and a poster child for the U.S. stimulus package success.
In August, it was announced in conjunction with President Barack Obama's trip to Elkhart, Ind., that the Indiana-based battery manufacturer would receive $118.5 million in federal grants to double its U.S. production facilities resulting in the creation of approximately 1,700 new jobs as part of the U.S. stimulus package. Since then, EnerDel has also signed a contract with Volvo for its C30 electric-car project, and a $1.29 million contract with the U.S. Army to develop a lithium ion battery system for a hybrid version of the iconic High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV aka Humvee).
EnerDel also has deals with Fisker Automotive, Nissan, and the Japan Postal Service among others.
AeroVironment, on the other hand, is probably best known in recent years for its high-profile work on unmanned aerial vehicles for DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. But the California-based company has actually been involved in electric cars for decades. AeroVironment has made charging systems for industrial and construction electric vehicles (forklifts, light duty trucks), and was involved in General Motors' EV1 project in the 1980s. Most recently, AeroVironment signed a deal to supply Nissan with 220-volt home charging stations as part of its widespread Nissan Leaf rollout in the U.S.
Showing posts with label Think City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Think City. Show all posts
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Electric Car To Be Built In Indiana
Think, the Norwegian electric carmaker, said on Tuesday that it will open its first American assembly plant in Elkhart, Ind.
The Think City, a battery-powered, two-seat hatchback, is set to begin rolling off the Indiana assembly line in early 2011, ramping up to a potential annual production of 20,000 cars by 2013. The factory is expected to eventually employ more than 400 workers.
About 1,500 of the plastic-bodied cars are already on the street in Europe, and Think will begin selling the City in the United States later this year. The car will be imported from a Finland assembly plant until the Indiana factory opens in a former recreational vehicle factory.
Think’s investment in the Indiana facility depends in part on securing a United States Department of Energy loan guarantee to finance the project, according to Richard Canny, Think’s chief executive.
“Our plan is based around the D.O.E. loan,” Mr. Canny said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “If that didn’t happen we would be looking at a slower and shallower investment plan.”
Indiana was one of several states vying for the Think assembly plant. Tax incentives offered by Indiana and Elkhart’s proximity to automotive suppliers in neighboring Michigan helped clinch the deal, according Mr. Canny.
“We thought they had a great vision for developing an industrial base around electric transport, of creating the Silicon Valley of electric transportation,” he said. It also helped that Ener1, Think’s biggest shareholder and battery supplier, is headquartered in Indiana.
“The battery is the most significant cost of the car and you don’t want to have to ship it around the country,” said Mr. Canny.
Think, which also counts General Electric and the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as investors, plans to sell the City in the United States for about $30,000 after incentives. The car has a range of about 112 miles and the American version of the City will have a top speed of at least 70 miles an hour, according to Think.
Mr. Canny said Think will initially target about five markets in the United States, including the San Francisco Bay Area.
The selection of the Indiana site comes as Think resumes production of the City in Europe after emerging from bankruptcy protection last August. The company subsequently shuttered its Norwegian assembly plant and contracted with Finland’s Valmet Automotive to produce the City.
Comment
I own a Prius but I believe the future is in electric cars.
The Think City, a battery-powered, two-seat hatchback, is set to begin rolling off the Indiana assembly line in early 2011, ramping up to a potential annual production of 20,000 cars by 2013. The factory is expected to eventually employ more than 400 workers.
About 1,500 of the plastic-bodied cars are already on the street in Europe, and Think will begin selling the City in the United States later this year. The car will be imported from a Finland assembly plant until the Indiana factory opens in a former recreational vehicle factory.
Think’s investment in the Indiana facility depends in part on securing a United States Department of Energy loan guarantee to finance the project, according to Richard Canny, Think’s chief executive.
“Our plan is based around the D.O.E. loan,” Mr. Canny said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “If that didn’t happen we would be looking at a slower and shallower investment plan.”
Indiana was one of several states vying for the Think assembly plant. Tax incentives offered by Indiana and Elkhart’s proximity to automotive suppliers in neighboring Michigan helped clinch the deal, according Mr. Canny.
“We thought they had a great vision for developing an industrial base around electric transport, of creating the Silicon Valley of electric transportation,” he said. It also helped that Ener1, Think’s biggest shareholder and battery supplier, is headquartered in Indiana.
“The battery is the most significant cost of the car and you don’t want to have to ship it around the country,” said Mr. Canny.
Think, which also counts General Electric and the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as investors, plans to sell the City in the United States for about $30,000 after incentives. The car has a range of about 112 miles and the American version of the City will have a top speed of at least 70 miles an hour, according to Think.
Mr. Canny said Think will initially target about five markets in the United States, including the San Francisco Bay Area.
The selection of the Indiana site comes as Think resumes production of the City in Europe after emerging from bankruptcy protection last August. The company subsequently shuttered its Norwegian assembly plant and contracted with Finland’s Valmet Automotive to produce the City.
Comment
I own a Prius but I believe the future is in electric cars.
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