Yesterday, Th!nk confirmed during a press conference at the Michigan Information Technology Center that they plan to bring the Th!nk City EV to the U.S. market by 2010. Earlier this month our partner site, Allcarselectric.com, reported on the planned launch for the City EV and an official statement from the company. This is yet another competitor launching into the quickly developing electric vehicle market here in the States. Over at TheCarConnection.com, Marty Padgett also reported on the Th!nk City and its aggressive planning that he says is try to claim “its own unique sub-sub category.”Back to today’s press conference, Th!nk announced that City models will pass all safety standard requirements, be able to achieve around the 70 mph mark and be primarily aimed at fleet customers, at least for the near term. In financial news, the Company plans to submit a loan application to the Department of Energy on the 31st of March and it shouldn’t come as any surprise to those following the Th!nk saga that their U.S. plans are dependent on this loan. So far, there hasn’t been a lot of speculation as to how likely or unlikely it is that they will be approved for such a loan.

2007 TH!NK

2007 TH!NK

 

As far as a production plant inside the U.S. border, there are no definite plans yet. However, Th!nk is hoping to have a better handle on their manufacturing plans by the same March 31st date of the aforementioned loan application. As if to prove their commitment, yesterday the company was supposed to meet with representatives from eight different states. Th!nk believes that they will be able to manufacture 60,000 EVs per year and employee in the neighborhood of 900 employees. No word however on the official price of the City, but the CEO, Richard Canney, has stated that after government incentives the purchase price would probably be under $20,000 (read more here).

Bottom line—watch out Smart For-Two, Chery S18 and Tesla, an affordable zero-emissions city cruiser that even the common man can afford is making its move. The only question left—will customers be able to have any color they want as long as it’s “green?”

 

Have you gotten the zero-emissions bug? Then “plug-in” to our partner site focused on news, reviews, photos and more all about electric vehicles.

Stay tuned to Allsmallcars.com for more reviews, new and used car information, photos and more. Also, be sure to roll by our partner sites for focused information on Fords, Chevrolets, Hondas and Toyotas.

 

[Source: Wippz] Â