Comments on: Th!nk City: “The iPod Car for the Google Generation”

By: Justice

Justice — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:24:16 +0000

I too, though American, have always been bemused and mystified by the big car fixation. I think the rational during the Hummer craze was that being bigger was the only way you could assure you couldn’t be hurt by another car, as silly as this sounds. What really protects from impact (outside good driving, of course) is good safety technology. The cars all the way up to the 70′s were safety nightmares despite there weight. Not to mention how increadibly inefficient carrying all that weight around is.

By: The Future

The Future — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:04:31 +0000

The range is fine for a commute car. If you commute more than 100 miles a day, you need to move. 100 miles per day is some 25,000 miles per year. If your car gets 25 mpg & you pay $4/gal, that is $4000 per year in gas alone!
I think pure electric cars are great for a second car. Families will still need another car that has long range and fast fill-ups for family trips . . . preferably a plug-in series hybrid like the Chevy Volt. :-)

By: anon

anon — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:56:41 +0000

The batteries are fine . . . they just cost a lot of money, so leasing is a way to hide the cost

By: zeeev

zeeev — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:10:16 +0000

leasing a battery sounds absurd. what that means is the current batteries just aren’t up to snuff yet.
the car’s range and charge time are still insuffic ient for many americans, except those whose lives are contained within a dense suburban-metro radius

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:47:17 +0000

I drove a Think City in the US a few years ago. There were about two hundred of them here.They were available to lease at a Palo Alto car rental agency and many private parties in the greater SF Bay area leased them. I spoke with a sales rep and was on a wait list to buy one. Next thing I heard, Ford bought the company and 1)they were not going to be available for purchase and 2)they were going to recall the leased Thinks. The internet was abuzz with revolutionary chit chat, e.g. let’s refuse to turn in our Thinks, ‘let’s hide them in the desert’, etc., etc. The Thinks were loved by all! There is no need to lease the batteries! This will cripple sales! I want to buy one, battery and all! BTW, I’m not google generation, I’m a baby boomer soon to be on a fixed income; lease a battery? Boo!

By: Ashwin

Ashwin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:36:26 +0000

Wow! I didn’t realize the price of gas was so high in Norway. That’s incredible. I can definitely understand why the battery lease may not make economic sense for you. Hopefully technological (or other) advances make it more cost-efficient in the near future. Thanks for your comment!

By: Tormod

Tormod — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:42:21 +0000

I guess it depends very much on how far you drive. As I mentioned what I am considering is Norwegian terms where gas is close to 10$/gal and still that comes cheaper than the lease rate, which is about NOK 1200/month which roughly equals $240. But my commute is only about 20 miles a day and I sometimes use the bike :-)

By: Ashwin

Ashwin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:00:14 +0000

You’re right, there is a monthly lease for the battery. However, in places like San Francisco where gas has risen over $4 per gallon, that lease rate may be well worth the opportunity cost. Also, according to the makers, the lease will allow for easy upgrades of new battery technologies during the lifetime of the car. We’ll see if that’s actually true, or just a clever marketing spin.

By: Tormod

Tormod — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:42:22 +0000

You say it will cost about $25 000 but doesn’t Th!nk charge an additiional monthly fee for leasing the batteries? I’d love a think car but the lease rate (here in Norway) still cost more than double of the amount i would pay for gas.

By: Ray

Ray — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:57:35 +0000

Mary – it’s a strange psychological problem americans have that they always think they’ll need a car for that 500 mile trip – kind of like thinking they need 4wd and 6000lbs of extra metal. This can, in fact, serves 95% of the needs of at 95% of commuters. Without high gas prices, you’re right, this car wouldn’t be popular, but since gas is going to be $4 a gallon for a while, this WILL be popular, and it’ll start to change peoples minds about what they think they need.
PS – you shouldn’t write in ALL CAPS, it makes it look like you’re screaming :-)

By: Ashwin

Ashwin — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:34:04 +0000

Hi Mary,
To clarify on one note, the frame isn’t made completely of plastic, but more accurately, integrates recycled plastic into its metal frame. Thanks for pointing that out!
And though your arguments about longer distance travel are completely valid, and it may not be the right car for you, I think the makers were trying to cater the car towards a more city driving market, where one might make shorter trip to grocery stores, etc. Personally, I can imagine in crowded cities, the size of the car will be useful in terms of finding parking.
As for its weight, it weighs 1397kg (or approx 3000 lbs), and is about the same, if not heavier, than some Mini Cooper models.
Thanks for your comment!

By: MARY ANN WAGNER

MARY ANN WAGNER — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:56:06 +0000

I DO NOT THINK THIS CAR WILL BE A BIG SUCESS HERE IN THE USA. MAYBE TO A FEW WHO TRAVEL ABOUT TOWN, BUT TO PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO CLIP OFF ABOUT 500 MILE A DAY WHILE ON VACATION AND ABOUT 250-300 TRAVELING FROM TOWN TO TOWN THE ENERGY JUST IS NOT THERE. ANOTHER CONCERN WOULD BE THE LIGHTNESS OF THE CAR ESPECIALLY DURING RAIN AND SNOW SEASON. AND THEN IT BEING MADE OF PLASTIC, I WONDER!!!

By: Pete

Pete — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:40:19 +0000

I am going to buy one of these cars. I first saw this video on http://www.GreenEnergyTV.com and after seeing it, I knew I wanted it!
Go Electric!
Pete