Power companies lead the charge in electric vehicles

Spanish power company, Red Electrica (www.ree.es), has been testing the THINK City since the beginning of the year, and reports a very successful and productive experience with the vehicle around the city of Madrid among over 150 of its employees.

This arrangement with Red Electrica follows fleet contracts with electricity companies in other key Electric Car markets, such as Liander in The Netherlands, Ringeriks-Kraft, Tronheims-Energi and Sundal Energi in Norway and Vattenfall Energi,

Fortum and Gavle Energi in Sweden, who are already taking delivery of their first fleets from THINK; with other utility providers in Austria, Germany and France also in the process of selecting THINK Electric Vehicles. Together, this puts electricity suppliers among the biggest customers of the world’s first urban pure lithium ion batteries electric vehicle, the THINK City.

Red Electrica’s Susana Bañares said: “We tested the THINK City for a period of several days earlier this year and over 150 of our employees drove the vehicle – in response to a ‘Drive an EV’ promotion we ran within the company. The response from our workforce to the THINK City has been overwhelmingly positive, with nearly all saying that they were ‘more than satisfied’ with the car. Many also commented on the fun of driving the THINK City – with its rapid acceleration and other user benefits such as the low cost per kilometre, zero-emissions and the overall silent and stress-free driving experience.”

THINK CEO, Richard Canny, added: “It makes sense really that some of our best customers are the largest suppliers of the very resource that powers our vehicle, and it is very reassuring that they – clearly the experts in the field of electrification – are universally giving the THINK City such a significant vote of confidence.”

The latest generation THINK City is a purpose-built, all-electric car designed for urban environments. It can travel at highway speeds and cover 160 kilometers on a single charge (via any 220V household outlet), with zero local emissions. It is the world’s first EV to be granted certification with the European CE conformity mark and EU homologation requirements (M1 certificate). To achieve these exacting standards, the THINK City has successfully completed very thorough testing and validation procedures.

European production of the THINK City is underway in Finland with manufacturing partner Valmet Automotive, which also assembles the Boxster and Cayman models for Porsche AG. First customer deliveries are taking place across Europe in selected key EV markets such as Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Austria.

THINK also recently announced plans to establish a U.S. production facility during 2011 in Elkhart County, Indiana.

THINK is a pioneer in electric vehicles and a leader in electric vehicle technology, developed and proven over 19 years. It is one of the few companies that has a ‘ready-to-market’ fully electric vehicle – the THINK City. With its market-leading range, driveability and recyclability, the THINK City is the first vehicle of its type to be granted pan-European regulatory safety approval and CE certification.

THINK is also a leader in electric drive-system technology, and was the first to offer a modular and flexible EV drive-train solution in the business-to-business sector. With its Scandinavian origins and sustainability mindset, THINK is one of the most carbon efficient car companies in the world.

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