Think Global

Think City

The Think City is a product manufactured by the Norwegian company Think Global electric car.

• 2.1 Model A266 Ford Think (11 November 1999 until 22 March 2002)
• 2.2 Model A306

History of the company

Pivco Industries and acquisition by Ford

Ford had in 1999 acquired the majority of shares of the small Norwegian car manufacturer Pivco Industries and the company renamed Think Nordic AS, about its electric car development in the form of the then current model PIV 4 - under the new name Think City ( A266 ) - with own in the portfolio to be able to record. Background was a statutory regulation of the California Air Resources Board, an environmental authority in California (USA), which imposed the automotive industry to produce gradual increase until the year 2005, at least 10% of their vehicles without emissions. Against this Regulation constitutes a legal suit was brought in 2001.

After the implementation of this Regulation has been prohibited by a decision of the Court of the State of California in June 2002, was the resulting subsidiary Think Nordic AS, which was flanked by Ford in addition with the divisions Think Technology and Think Mobility, in the form of the Think Group sold again in February 2003, although shortly before the complete production facility to the new model ( A306 ) had been converted. The reason for the sale, Ford indicated that the sale of the Think City electric cars would have turned out to be not as successful as those responsible would have hoped so, and eco-friendly alternatives such as hybrid cars were now ready for the market. In addition, one would have hoped for more political initiative, which supports the market for electric cars. In the two and a half years ( from November 1999 to March 2002 ) Ford has produced 1005 vehicles of the A266, which were sold in 14 countries. The sales figures were, from the point of view of an automotive conglomerate - like Ford - considered not as satisfying that after changing the legal real situation in California you would have been so readily willing to engage further in the market segment of electric cars.

Stop the electric car program by Ford and sold to KamKorp

Where the lease contract had expired with Ford - - Although in the U.S. for a long time were waiting lists for potential buyers, for example, 440 pieces of it should scrapping fall victim. Only some interested buyers and not least Greenpeace have helped the 440 cars to the fact that they are still in use.

Through the completion of production of the Think City by Ford in August 2002 the future of Think Nordic was long uncertain and further development or even renewed mass production very unlikely.

Only after in February 2003 KamKorp Microelectronics Inc ( Switzerland ) had bought the company, it went forward again. Just a year later in March 2004, the jointly developed prototype of the Public Think the public was presented.

Economic difficulties, reorientation and reorganization

The business concept for the Microbus Think Public stipulated that this should be hired by clients for the purpose of urban transport. But just problems in the implementation. This ( bankruptcy approximately in February 2006), the company in late 2005 / early 2006, found itself in a financial trouble. As a result, end of March 2006 Think Nordic was sold to the Norwegian investor group InSpire who renamed the company Think Global and him apart from the renovation, a different orientation and product policy: decreed their stated goal is to Think Global to a pure electric vehicle manufacturer to make, which holds a number of models in the form of a range of products on the market that will meet different user needs.

Since November 2007, Think Global AS produces an improved model of the Think City, which was also equipped with ABS, air conditioning, electric windows, airbags, power steering and a sunroof.

In March 2008, Think Global managed an agreement for cooperation with the lithium -ion battery manufacturer and subsidiary of General Electric A123 Systems. General Electric has invested four million dollars in Think Global and another 20 million U.S. dollars in A123 Systems to increase the production capacity at the subsidiary and this so to enable them to deliver the required lithium -ion batteries to Think about can.

Contrary to the spirit of the agreement in March but tested Think Global in June of the same year successfully three lithium -ion battery packs in the company EnerDel - a competitor of A123 Systems - to test vehicles in the vicinity of Indianapolis, at a pre-planned production site of Think.

Despite the visible progress that has made ​​the company, coupled with the goal to increase the number well over 2500 per year, Think Global came in mid-December 2008 a financial bottleneck, so think- CEO Richard Canny saw forced to announce the business need for its short-term financial operations of badly translated from 14.5 to 29 million U.S. dollars in loan guarantees from the Norwegian government, otherwise, would have stopped the production and continued until the following year and up to 70 percent of the workforce will be dismissed. It was necessary credit lines, which had to be approved by the banks to hedge. A Intervene by Charles Gassenheimer, the head of the battery supplier EnerDel, made ​​in January 2009 for the granting of a loan guarantee in the amount of 40 million Norwegian kroner (5.69 million U.S. dollars ), so that the short-term liquidity was ensured.

End of August 2009 was finally a recapitalization of the company by existing and new investors are reported: after U.S. battery manufacturer Ener1 increases (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), the parent company of EnerDel, with 31 percent share of a Think Global; furthermore occur Rockport Capital Partners ( Boston, Massachusetts), Element Partners ( Philadelphia ) and Kleiner Perkins (Palo Alto, Calif. ) was added, further Valmet Automotive, based in Finland, and Investinor, a supported by the Norwegian government investment fund. For the minority stake of Valmet Automotive to Think Global and the agreed technical cooperation between the two companies Valmet gets the permission to build the THINK City in Finland. But not only that: this step is accompanied by the outsourcing of the Norway-based vehicle assembly to Finland. In fact, the production of the vehicles of the Think City in December 2009, then started at Valmet in Uusikaupunki / Finland.

For entry of Ener1 EnerDel received at Think Global long-term exclusive rights for the supply of Think with batteries for equipping its current and upcoming models in return. These exclusive rights concern probably only the vehicles that Think Global intends to produce in the U.S. because Think has at a later date, namely January 25, 2010, announced that from then on all EnerDel for the delivery in the U.S. and 60 percent of vehicles produced in Europe would be charged with battery. This means that A123 Systems Think Global supplied with a part of the remaining 40 percent of the batteries for vehicles in Europe and thus not easily dissolved the relationship between Think Global and A123 Systems, but has been continued in accordance with the agreement, as A123 Systems and EnerDel even before Think Global have been supplied with batteries and accordingly a certain continuity that existed in the relationships of the three companies together.

In 2010 was opened a new vehicle plant of Think Global in Elkhart, Indiana, USA. The first vehicles from the local production have been delivered in mid- December 2010.

In March 2011, Valmet Automotive has suspended its production of the Think City EV in Finland until further notice. Also from Think in Norway has indicated that the demand on the City model was extremely subdued in the year. This could bring again into financial straits, since such a decision the entire European production of Think Global virtually comes to a standstill Think Global.

In May 2011, Ener1 by Think Global AS has disconnected. The battery specialist Ener1 wrote off his multi-million dollar investment in the ailing Norwegian electric car manufacturer Think Global and returned all the shares in Think Holding.

Bankruptcy and subsequent takeover by Russian investor Zingarewitsch

On 22 June 2011, a trustee of the Norwegian insolvency management company Thommessen has taken control of Think Global AS, after the company was forced to declare bankruptcy. The Norwegian financial and business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv has reported in its issue of 19 July 2011 that the Norwegian carmaker Think Global AS is sold to the Russian businessman Boris Zingarewitsch. The decision had been made after a commissioned by the court trustee had elected Mr. Zingarewitsch the winner of the bidding round. Zingarewitsch deflected from its investment operations by the Russian Saint Petersburg and is also shareholder of the battery supplier Ener1. The liabilities of Think Global AS to Ener1 to have recently amounted to approximately NOK 450 to 500 million. The business transactions are to be completed by 20 July 2011. The areas of Think North America and Think UK are included in the business. Zingarewitsch has agreed with Ener1 and Valmet Automotive signed a "Memorandum of Understanding ", according to which that cooperates with the two companies to get the Norwegian carmaker Think back on the road. It is expected to receive a new sales structure Think Global AS, which will be realized by current plans of the company Electric Mobility Solutions AS, further the development department of the company are moved to Munich. Vehicle production will be resumed in the first quarter of 2012. The resumption of car production can be a long time coming (as of November 2012). In August 2012, it was reported that in the vehicle plant in Elkhart left over from the production bodyshells will be assembled from a few installers; may hold, this process still on (November 2012). These vehicles have been purchased far below the original wholesale price from a dealer in Oregon. They are sold by him at a reduced final price.

Model history

Model A266 Ford Think (11 November 1999 until 22 March 2002)

The two-seater is powered by 19 water-cooled nickel -cadmium batteries with electricity and achieved at a range of about 85 kilometers, a top speed of 100 km / h The Ford Think weighs about 940 kg. The base is made ​​of steel, while the body consists of a thermoplastic material.

After about 5 hours on a 230 volt outlet, the batteries are charged to 80%, fully charged it after about 8 hours.

Ford has discontinued the production of this vehicle model.

Model A306

Currently, the only model is the Think City. The micro-car is designed as a city car. It is regularly a two-seater, in the trunk, however, an additional seat for children can be installed. The model is equipped with ABS, electric windows, electric door mirrors, central locking, from model year 2011, with air conditioning and ESP.

( 1st generation used to realize the drive until August 2010, a 30 - kW electric motor with 90 Nm (: 17 kW, Input Voltage: 188-407 V, Output Voltage: 14.5 V, current operating performance 0-100 A ) was electrical inverter, Power Conversion Unit ( PCU) ).

With a maximum range of 160 km ( about 125 km at 100 km / h top speed ) it outperforms previous electric vehicles construction approximately twofold. Here, a sodium nickel chloride battery is used, also called zebra battery. This has a working temperature of 270 ° C and has an energy density of about 94 Wh/kg-120Wh/kg in practice. ( In theory, would be up to 150 Wh / kg is possible. )

Critics doubted the durability of the Zebra battery, even though this type of battery has been developed for years and, among other things also in military applications ( torpedoes, submarines ) will be used. The pricing model of the Think City was originally a fact by the vehicle is sold, the accumulator should be rented, however. Thus, the risk would have been the manufacturer. However, the manufacturer seems to have his cause, since their utility has already been demonstrated in a high degree. Dr. Cord - Henrich Dustmann, former Head of zebra activities at MES -DEA, reported in a lecture in June 2004 as regards the life of a battery of tests that a battery is already in operation for eleven years and have undergone over 3000 charge cycles. MES -DEA is a guarantee of 5 years on Zebra traction battery in the Think City, from year 2010. In these vehicles, the available capacity was reduced by software, so that the range has been reduced from 180 to 160 km. However, a distribution on a larger scale not yet succeeded, as the battery type is almost unknown, although it was originally used in the A- Class from Mercedes. The Zebra traction battery was developed by AEG, a former Daimler subsidiary. In August 2010, traveled five Think City with ZEBRA battery in the e - Miglia 2010, the first international electric car rally through the Alps and were able to convince many doubters that.

Meanwhile, a lithium -ion traction battery with the same range is used by the company Think Global AS as an alternative to Zebra traction battery but smaller dimensions offered, as these Traktionsbatterieart has a slightly higher energy density and does not have to be constantly heated. However, lithium - ion batteries are temperature dependent in their performance, which can lead to losses in the reach in cold ambient temperatures ( compared to normal or cold temperatures).

The Bosch service centers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland entered the service business for electric vehicles. For " Think City " electric vehicles ( BCS) leads Bosch Car Service on behalf of the importer and electric vehicle carsharing provider Move About (Bremen) all future maintenance and repair works, Bosch announced in December 2010.

In Switzerland, selected Bosch Car Service Companies Service Partners are the importer m-way and thus offer a nationwide service network.

The control units of the Think City were included in the electronic diagnostic systems for workshops, so that now a nationwide network of workshops for the electric car is available. This collaboration between Move About Bosch and originated in the German electric mobility projects of the stimulus package II, because the think Citiy in several model regions (BMVBS ) and pilot projects (BMWi ) is employed.