Thinking Different with the Th!nk City Electric Car

Norway -- Going back to the non-sports car category, the GreenMonster visits Snarøya and Aurskog in Norway and takes a look at Th!nk City by Th!nk Global.

It's a 3-door (including rear hatch), 2-seater (2 more rear seats optional) crash-tested and highway-certified electric car with a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and accelerates at 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) in 6.5 seconds with a range of 170 km (106 mi).

Battery options are available namely the sodium-based batteries from MES-DEA and the Lithium-based batteries from either A123 Systems or Enerdel. Charging time is approximately 10 hours, 230 VAC / 14A for a 100% charge and approximately 8 hours, 230 VAC / 14A for an 80% charge.

Batteries can be leased from Th!nk for a monthly fee of NOK 975 per month ($160, £81, EUR120) for full maintenance, WiFi and car insurance.

Orders are available for Norway at NOK 199,000 before optional features, which is approximately $32,500 US, or £16,600 UK, or €24,500. As of August 2008, 100 cars had already been made. The car will be available soon in Denmark, Sweden, in the UK, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.