European electric vehicle company Think has delivered its first U.S.-built cars to the State of Indiana for use in its government fleet.
The 15 vehicles, which were shipped from Think’s manufacturing facility in Elkhart, Indiana, contain lithium-ion batteries made by U.S. company EnerDel. EneDel’s parent company Ener1 (Nasdaq: HEV) is the largest stakeholder in Think.
"We’ve made a strategic decision to target initially the many millions of fleet vehicles in operation in the U.S. market," said Think CEO Barry Engle. "These fleets can jumpstart vehicle electrification in America’s cities and help push the industry past early adopters into mainstream consumer markets. Fleet sales will drive up vehicle and battery production volumes and drive down costs, which will benefit retail consumers."
The economics of electric vehicles for fleet operators in terms of cost of ownership are highly positive. With defined travel routes and centralized recharging and service, fleets are the natural platform to launch this new industry. GE (NYSE: GE) recently announced that it will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles for fleet operations.
Think plans to roll out retail distribution in select U.S. cities in the
second half of 2011. The retail distribution timeline coincides with
the company’s plans to expand the production line at its Elkhart
facility, where the company currently employs more than 25 local
workers. By the end of 2011, Think will have more than 100 people in
Elkhart building electric cars and more than 415 by the end of 2013. The
company also builds the Think City in Finland for sale in Europe.
Mass deployment of electric vehicles in the state of Indiana is being facilitated by Project Plug-IN, an initiative organized by the Energy Systems Network (ESN). By early 2011, ESN will place 100 or more electric vehicles and supporting charging infrastructure with government and corporate fleets, as well as selected individual commuters, across the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Earlier this week Nissan delivered its first Leaf electric car to a customer in the San Francisco Bay Area. And GM (NYSE: GM) announced that its first shipment of Chevy Volt EV’s is on the way to dealers in California.
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