9:01 am, December 3, 2008
LONDON has been targeted as an outlet for the ‘safest’ purely electric car in the world.
Think will concentrate distribution of next year’s City electric vehicle on Europe’s most electric vehicle friendly cities – and London, Car Dealer has been told, is a top priority.
This has won the praise of Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon. ‘I am pleased that Think sees London as one of the most attractive markets in Europe to roll out their electric vehicles.
‘We want to see more electric and other low emission cars on roads in the UK, as we move towards a low carbon future.’
The maker developed a so-called ‘EV Friendliness Index’. This quantitive measure assesses the benefits of using an electric car in each market. London ranks 6th, ahead of Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Brussels.
Free road tax, congestion charge exemption and free parking in many areas help London’s case. Government funding has also been committed to hasten development of low-carbon transport.
Think CEO Richard Canny said: ‘We want to make sure that we concentrate our sales on the European cities that have the most potential – not just in terms of sales volumes, but the cities where our customers will receive the maximum benefit.
‘Since EVs are a unique solution for congested urban environments, we will take a city-by-city approach rather than a pan-European or country-by-country approach.
‘It is important that we first establish a strong concentration of sales in key, highly attractive markets, which support early adoption of low carbon transport solutions…and this includes London.’
For dealers, this means an opportunity. A spokeswoman told Car Dealer the company is currently in discussions regarding distribution of the City in London – but nothing has yet been confirmed.
The company is keen to hear from interested parties, so if it is something that is of interest, she strongly advises you send an e-mail to [email protected].
What is the Think?
• Norwegian built electric vehicle
• Composite ABS plastic body
• Top speed 62mph
• 0-30mph 6.9 seconds
• 0-50mph 16 seconds
• ABS, airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners standard
• 4 star Euro NCAP crash test result expected
