The Th!nk Electric Car: More Fun, More Efficient

by Judy Silberstein

(Update on September 5, 2002) Th!nk's New York State program is continuing as discussed below. According to Scarsdale Ford's Dave Frattura, a separate West Coast program involving a different electric vehicle is being discontined due to lack of government support.

( August 28, 2002 ) It’s small, it’s cute, it doesn’t pollute (much). It’s the Norwegian electric vehicle dubbed “Th!nk.” and it’s designed as an energy efficient, “green” replacement for the old clunkers many of us use as station cars. For the moment, Th!nk is only available in Westchester to Metro-North commuters in White Plains and Chappaqua who are participating in a pilot program operated by the New York Power Authority and Ford Motor Company. The rest of us are free to ogle the cars or maybe test-drive a demo at a participating dealership.  

Larchmont Gazette hauled two local auto experts to Scarsdale Ford on Central Avenue, the largest Th!nk supplier in the country. Most of New York’s 100-car allotment has been sold, but Manager Richard Knapp allowed us to crawl in and around the red, gray, and black models as they sat plugged into chargers waiting for their new owners to drive them home. Participants in the Th!nk pilot program get chargers for their homes and special plug-in parking spots at their local train stations.

The Th!nks really are cute, with tiny rounded bodies and doe-eyed headlights. With their small size and plastic covering they resemble a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe for a large toddler. The doors feel like they’ve been borrowed from a Rubber Maid garden shed. In fact, the plastic is from recycled and recyclable material. The body plastic is the same as on the Saturn, but it comes unpainted to avoid use of toxic paint. The roof uses the same plastic found on football helmets

The soft look and feel is deceptive suggested Dave Frattura, Senior Sales Advisor and Th!nk guru. Underneath there’s an aluminum frame no longer found on most new cars. “Frames don’t compress as fast as the unibody used in most cars,” said Frattura. In Europe, the Th!nk passed the same crash test as the Mercedes and Volvo cars. Recounted Frattura, “A Mitsubishi going 40 miles per hour crashed into a Th!nk in Europe. The Mitsubishi driver went to the hospital and the two people in the Th!nk walked away.” “Of course, if you run it into an Excursion, you’ll lose,” he added.

Dealer Carol Muller is as enthusiastic as Frattura. Her own car was being serviced. Given her choice of loaner cars for the day, she said, “I just took the Th!nk because it’s fun to drive.” She graciously offered us a test-drive in her loaner.

The Th!nk takes a bit of getting used to with its quirky Norwegian gear shift (a plastic tongue hanging out of the front panel), manual steering, and electric operation. After a few miles of stop and go on Central Avenue, however, you can get the hang of the fast braking and acceleration of an electric vehicle. The brakes are “regenerative,” which means you’ll add juice to the battery if you brake in particular ways. That’s good for the environment, but doesn’t really impact the ride.

So how was the ride? “Cool, quiet, and smooth with a tight suspension,” opined Nicky Benton, our engineer. “More than adequate for going to the train station and back,” offered autophile Alex Hu. “My biggest gripe is that it felt a bit tippy going around curves.” He also found the fit and finish cheap for the $23,000 price Ford anticipates charging for an Americanized version it hopes to have on sale by the end of 2003. "Maybe," said Benton "Though after federal and state tax incentives the sticker price will be closer to $16,000."

The seats are quite firm and supportive and there is adequate space for lugging a load from the Stop and Shop or even Costco (but probably not Home Depot). The entire back of the car, a roof to bumper window, lifts to allow access to the roomy luggage space. The back of New York models sport an inelegant air-conditioning box added just for our area: Norwegians rarely require cooling.

Frattura listed the various features Ford is engineering for its Americanized Th!nk: power steering and windows, air conditioning, passenger-side air-bags, and a conventional gear shift. These add-ons raise the comfort factor but will eat into the Th!nk’s mileage. The Norweigian model gets an estimated fifty miles between charges (under optimal conditions) but running an assortment of electrical gadgets will definitely lower that number. Nevertheless, even an Americanized Th!nk would allow you to zip around the Village on errands, or get you to the train and back. Those short drives are particularly inefficient and polluting in a conventional car. The first five miles with a gas-powered engine may yield only 5-miles per gallon - even less in a giant SUV.

Will Larchmont drivers give up their gas-guzzlers for a tiny, green machine? Could be. Americans elsewhere have grown quite attached to their test models. Said one driver who leased a Norwegian Th!nk, “For me it was both a sweet little friend and a kick in the pants to drive. At least that was my impression. Wish I still had mine."

For more information on the Th!nk, see the New York Power Authority , Ford or Scarsdale Ford. Top photo courtesy of Ford.

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