Norway

We've always had a soft spot for Think, the Norwegian electric-car company. From its start in 1991, it set out to build not just battery-powered vehicles, but electric cars that could be used on highways and pass all safety tests in any country. That sets it apart from the scores of EV companies building low-speed "neighborhood electric vehicles," many of them little more than golf carts with doors, lights, and wipers. But Think has been through more twists and turns than many companies twice its age. And now, like GM and Chrysler, it has emerged from bankruptcy with new funding (from private...