Migros Group establishes M-Way, a new energy and mobility solutions platform, for the sale and the distribution of THINK City electric vehicles in Switzerland. First fleet sales agreement already signed.
THINK, the Scandinavian electric vehicle maker, has completed its latest innovative EV distribution partnership deal with the Swiss retailer Migros.
Migros is the largest retailer and biggest private employer in Switzerland, with over 600 outlets across the country whose retail mantra is to take the product to the people – making the group a perfect retail partner for THINK.
THINK CEO, Richard Canny, says: “This is the most exciting retail agreement THINK has ever done. Migros is a very important partner for us; already it is showing its selling prowess in the home market with sizeable new fleet deals immediately starting to come through.”
He continued: “In the EV industry, volume is growing quickly right now, and with partners such as Migros on board, THINK will start to reach the volumes required to take us beyond the tipping point and into mainstream, competitively priced car retailing.”
The first fleet sale of Electric Vehicles in Switzerland has just been completed by Migros, with Alpmobil – the Swiss eco-tourism group – who will operate an initial fleet of 60 THINK City Electric Vehicles for holiday guests at Alpmobil’s latest project in Haslital and Goms in the Swiss Alps.
Daniel Hofer, CEO of Migrol and project head of M-Way, said: “With M-Way we are able to promote the development of a more flexible and ecologically responsible mobility. We wish to make electric-powered mobility simple, accessible, and affordable – through multi-location retailing and the range of new supporting services planned by M-Way. We will start with the THINK City – the first ever pure electric car with European regulatory approval.”
Herbert Bolliger, President of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, added: “Ultimately we want to continue to grow Migros’ famously sustainable business ethos. We have the key central retail locations all over Switzerland and beyond, now we want to use these bases to spread the news and sales of electric vehicles such as the THINK City.”
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 conventional 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 The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Austria and now Switzerland.
THINK also recently announced plans to establish a U.S. production facility during 2011 in Elkhart County, Indiana, and is working with Japanese partner Itochu on developing operations in Asia.
THINK, the Scandinavian electric car maker, makes a further stride towards mainstream volume production this week with the first introduction of award-winning lithium-ion batteries to THINK City Electric Vehicles in Europe.
THINK recently announced plans to establish a U.S. production facility during 2011 in Elkhart County, Indiana, and is working with Japanese partner Itochu on developing operations in Asia.
THINK and Ener1 have been in active partnership for a number of years, developing and perfecting the match between THINK’s industry-leading EV drive system and the award-winning Ener1 lithium-ion battery technology supplied by Ener1 subsidiary, EnerDel. The result is Ener1’s development of a dedicated 22kWh battery system for the THINK City – the first pure electric vehicle of its kind to use this new generation technology.
With this cutting edge battery in place, THINK, in partnership with EnerDel, is well placed to further develop global business-to-business opportunities with its proprietary integrated electric drive-train, which is already being tested in Asia by the Japan Postal Service, and by Mazda as part of a Itochu Corporation-led sustainability project in Tsukuba, Japan.
THINK CEO, Richard Canny, said: “THINK’s adoption of Ener1’s battery technology is going to allow us to scale up much more quickly in Europe and also be ready to enter the US market later this year. The volume production of these batteries now underway at Ener1 opens the door for THINK to finally enter higher scale production, now that battery supply constraints are behind us. Not only does Lithium-ion offer all sorts of advantages at the customer level, it also opens up the potentially massive business-to-business market for us as well, which will result in significant volume expansion and international growth for THINK.”
Chris Neal, Director of Engineering at THINK, added: “Ener1’s Lithium-ion technology is a true market leader and an innovation in the EV sector. Thanks to their prismatic design, Ener1 batteries offer solutions that are lightweight, better packaged and smaller, yet with much greater available power and energy density than other technologies. Crucially, fast-charging becomes a possibility with EnerDel batteries, as proven in early tests done by THINK and Ener1, where the battery can be charged up to 80% of its capacity in just 15 minutes. The volume introduction of Lithium-ion is a big step forward for THINK and the EV industry as a whole.”
Ener1 Chairman and CEO, Charles Gassenheimer, who also serves as Chairman of the THINK board of directors, concluded: “The EnerDel THINK partnership combines a cutting-edge lithium-ion battery solution with the most sophisticated EV drive-train in the world, leading the industry with a road-ready electric vehicle solution available for purchase today.”
He added: “Our ancillary drivetrain business, stripping out THINK’s drivetrain technology and combining with the EnerDel solution, is particularly powerful, allowing an impressive time-to-market advantage for third parties. Ener1 continues to leverage its relationships, such as ITOCHU with the Japan Post and the new Ener1-Wanxiang joint venture, to create compelling new revenue opportunities for both companies.”
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 conventional 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 The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Austria and others.
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.
Migros is Switzerland’s biggest retailer. With its more than 84,000 employees coming from over 140 countries, Migros is also the biggest private employer in the country, realizing a turnover of 25 billion Swiss francs (approx. 17.5 billion euros) in 2009. The majority of goods sold by Migros are produced by Migros industries in Switzerland.
Migros is a federation of ten regional cooperatives with over 2 million members; various public companies as well as a series of foundations also form part of the Migros Group. Besides the traditional areas of Grocery Retailing and Specialized Goods Retailing, the Retailing Department (with the Swiss discounter Denner, the Globus department stores, etc.), the Travel section (with Hotelplan, Interhome, etc.), and the area of Financial Services (Migros Bank) also represent important areas of business for the Group.
Migros was founded in 1925, by Gottlieb Duttweiler. Commercial activity is characterized by sustainable value generation. Ever since its inception, high ethical standards and lasting corporate social responsibility have played and continue to play a significant role for the Group. Every year, a fixed percentage (> 100 million CHF/year, approx. 70 million EUR/year) of the turnover of the Migros cooperatives is donated to cultural and social activities. Hence, Migros is the most important private promoter of cultural events in Switzerland. About 50% of the donated amount, termed “Culture Percentage”, is contributed to the Migros Club Schools, the biggest training and tertiary learning institution of the country.
