Elektriautod Norras

http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/03/think-to-expand-into-new-oslo-facilities-to-support-electric-vehicle-production.html

Think to Expand Into New Oslo Facilities to Support Electric Vehicle Production

thinkcity2.jpgNorwegian electric-vehicle maker Think is moving into a larger plant in Oslo and will expand its workforce this year, signifying the continued resurgence of a company that required bankruptcy protection early last year.

About 70 Think engineers and technicians will soon move into the facility, which will have a dedicated climate chamber, dynamometer and a number of laboratories used to build prototype parts for the all-electric City compact car, the company said in a statement today.

Think will add as many as 50 employees to the facility over the next year, CEO Richard Canny said in the statement.

The expansion marks what appears to be a continued resurgence for the company, which was denied bailout funds by the Norwegian government in late 2008 and required bankruptcy protection early last year before getting financial support from investors, making a number of executive appointments and winning major new contracts in the drivetrain supply business.

Once owned by Ford Motor Co., Think, which also went bankrupt in 2006, last December began delivering the latest generation of its all-electric City compact car to European customers after restarting production at a new facility with manufacturing partner Valmet Automotive in Finland.

Earlier this year, Think said it would invest $43.5 million building a factory in Indiana and would try to start selling the City in the U.S. later this year. The Indiana plant will have an annual manufacturing capacity for more than 20,000 vehicles and may start assembling EVs in early 2011.

The Think City has a range of about 100 miles per charge and a top speed of 70 mph - but doesn't deliver both simultaneously as EV range drops when speed increases. While equipped to use rapid charging systems, the Think's batteries also can be charged with a so-called level II, 220-volt charger - which takes around 8 hours to replenish an empty battery pack - or from a level I, or 110-volt, household current.

Danny King, Contributor