EnerDel testing lithium-ion battery in a Th!nk City
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Th!nk (Think)
Want one of the all-electric Th!nk City cars powered by a lithium-ion battery? You're one step closer today than yesterday thanks to an announcement by EnerDel, the battery division of Ener1, that it has delivered the first mechanical prototype of the lithium-ion battery pack to Th!nk for form and fit evaluation. Even though Th!nk Citys are popping up in Paris and London, the pack is being tested in a City that is at EnerDel's Indianapolis facility in a car that was delivered last week.
With all of the problems the electric car companies have, it's kind of rare to see li-ion technology moves that happen on schedule. Last October, the two companies said Ener1 would deliver production prototypes to Th!nk in March 2008. Tests will continue until the end of April and EnerDel said in a statement (available after the break) that it expects to have its battery pack operating in the Th!nk City by the end of the year. We'll be waiting for a test drive and reports from customers before we call this a success, but I think this calls for at least a little bit of hope, no?
Press Release:
ENERDEL PROVIDES MARKET UPDATE ON THINK GLOBAL SUPPLY AGREEMENT
Indianapolis, IN (April 1, 2008) – EnerDel, the advanced automotive battery systems division of alternative energy company Ener1, Inc. (OTCBB: ENEI), today announced its progress toward meeting the lithium-ion battery system deliverables schedule under a supply contract with Think Global.
EnerDel has delivered the first mechanical prototype of the lithium-ion battery pack for the new TH!NK City vehicle for form and fit evaluation. The pack has been installed in a sample vehicle, which the Norwegian company delivered to EnerDel's Indianapolis facility last week.
Through the end of April, EnerDel will deliver additional functional prototype packs that will be tested at EnerDel, evaluated in the sample electric vehicle, and undergo third-party performance assessment. Before the end of the first half of the year, EnerDel expects to have its electric vehicle battery pack operating in the TH!NK City. EnerDel is providing a total systems solution for the battery pack, including cells, electronics and vehicle integration.
"We have an aggressive time-to-market schedule for providing the lithium-ion battery solution for the world's leading electric vehicle," said EnerDel CEO Ulrik Grape. "The testing phase is now commencing and we are confident that we will provide production of the TH!NK City battery on schedule by the end of 2008."
"We are very pleased with the progress EnerDel and Think have made together on the lithium- ion battery solution," commented Think President and CEO Jan-Olaf Willums.
EnerDel is increasing capacity for volume production of the lithium-ion battery system for Think, including by tapping the company's close relationship with ITOCHU Corporation. As the global leader in the provision of automotive battery-making equipment, ITOCHU serves as a strategic partner of Ener1 for the development of manufacturing capacity. ITOCHU provided venture-round funding to Ener1 in 2003.
"Based on the size and scope of Think's aggressive business plan, battery manufacturing capacity is the crucial issue that we are tackling right now," said Ener1 Chairman Charles Gassenheimer. "Cooperation with ITOCHU will significantly contribute to scaling up production capacity to meet our Norwegian partner's battery demands."
About EnerDel EnerDel is owned by Ener1, Inc. (80.5%) and Delphi Corporation (19.5%). EnerDel has a production facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. EnerDel currently employs approximately 65 highly experienced engineers and technicians involved in the battery development of both cells and systems. For more information, please visit: www.enerdel.com
About Ener1, Inc. Ener1, Inc. (OTCBB: ENEI) is a demand-side alternative energy technology company that is developing 1) lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV, PHEV and EV) at its owned EnerDel subsidiary, 2) commercial fuel cell products through its EnerFuel subsidiary, and 3) nanotechnology-based materials and manufacturing processes for batteries and other applications at its NanoEner subsidiary. For more information, visit www.ener1.com and or call 954-556-4020.
About THINK Global Think designs, develops, manufactures and markets environmentally friendly vehicles and technologies. The company has more than 17 years of experience in developing and producing electric vehicles. Today, 1,200 TH!NKs are driving on Norwegian roads. The new TH!NK City is a fifth generation electrical vehicle assembled at Aurskog, Norway. Series production of the car started late last year and the first cars will be delivered to Norwegian customers. Later this year, the car will be launched in selected markets in Europe. The capacity of its first assembly plant in Aurskog outside Oslo, Norway is presently being increased to 10,000 cars per year, which Think expects to reach during 2009. Strong owners with visions and resources want to make Think the "car company of the 21st century". For more info: www.think.no.
[Source: EnerDell]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-01-2008 @ 1:42PM
Tim said...
Go EnerDel!
According to DOT’s research:
78% of ALL trips are less than 40 miles.
85% are less than 50 miles.
90% are less than 60miles.
93% are less than 70 miles.
http://www.gm-volt.com/2007/12/06/how-did-gm-determine-that-78-of-commuters-drive-less-than-40-miles-per-day/
These electric cars would be recharged at night just like a cell phone!
People are NOT stupid. Once they CAN buy a 70-100 mile range highway capable REAL electric car (not toy, not clown car, not 3 wheel gadget, not NEV, not “hey look, I’m gay” statement) for less than $20K, that would be good for 93% of all their driving at 1/10th the cost of driving their OLD ICE car… THEY WILL!!
Most will also keep one of their old ICE “smokers” for those occasional long trips. Most of these people will also quickly realize that it’s foolish to pay property tax, insurance and maintenance on an ICE car that they almost never drive and it would be far cheaper to just rent an ICE car or a “hybrid” or take public transportation for those occasional trips to see grandma and rent an electric car at their destination.
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4-01-2008 @ 2:09PM
Charles S said...
Wow... that's some prediction...
...not that I don't want to subscribe to such a fantastic scenario (also, I don't know what a "gay" car should look like...) but most automotive company know that just about everything opposite of what Tim said is true in the REAL market.
People can do with a shorter range car, and people may SAY that they will consider a shorter-range car for the sake of the environment, but in the end, they're going to buy that Camero or the next fad that comes along.
Fuel-efficiency may be on people's minds, but they will not change drastically, like buying an EV.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of EV cars and if Th!nk comes to US, I'm probably one of the early buyers. The issue here is that even if there is a perfect EV out there today, it will still take a long time for people to be comfortable and transition over to something new.
Hybrids barely gain 3% of the market after 8 years. Even Diesels will do better in US than EVs right now. Any EV released today will always be a niche market, so it might as well be super-expensive like a Tesla or extremely light-weight and streamline like Aptera.
Short of a major disaster where there is no gasoline at the pump, it's best that EV stay where it is, a small market with a potential. The manufacturing capacity of EVs right now is no where near ready for prime time.
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4-01-2008 @ 2:12PM
jerbo said...
Hello,
First of all the think is going to sell for 30,000 not less than 20,000 and on top of that you will have to pay monthly fee of 300 dollars to lease a battery. something to think about
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4-01-2008 @ 2:16PM
Dave said...
Great post, this is HUGE news. NO offense to Tesla, but let's be thankful Enderdel has been selected to provide the Li-ions... So do we have specs on the Th!nk? We'd also be foolish to Th!nk these companies are not looking to North America for a market...perhaps with the Ox. Time will tell, but things are looking up for my affordable EV! No need to wait for GM to revive the EV, thank goodness.
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4-01-2008 @ 2:52PM
Yanquetino said...
Bingo, Tim! Well said!
I am one of the very rare exceptions when it comes to range: more than 98% of the population drives less than I do on a daily basis. My wife and I commute 104 miles round trip for work, and the nearest large city for shopping and recreation is about 55 miles away in the opposite direction.
Funny thing is, the EV1 and RAV4-EV would have handled those ranges without any problem. Surely the auto manufacturers can do even better than that nowadays. After all, even without lithium-ion, the Th¡nk City already has a range of 125 miles. I would buy one in a heartbeat if they'd start importing them.
And for those occasional long trips over 125 miles? The RAV4-EV had that solved also, long before GM started talking about the possibility of a "range-extended" Volt. Here's some evidence:
http://evnut.com/rav_longranger.htm
It seems to me that a trailer like that would more than suffice for those times when one pays a visit to Grandma in the next state. Why lug the ICE around with you every single day, a la Volt? Duh.
The biggest irony of all this is that CARB has just diluted its ZEV mandate even further and the oil magnates are up on capitol hill today begging for tax breaks. What a world we live in!
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4-01-2008 @ 3:18PM
kert said...
lots of people are realizing that the true "entry vector" for the EV market acceptance is a city commuter class car. First, the expectations for this car class are lower to begin with when compared to family saloons, in range, comforts, baggage space, extras, performance etc. And there are huge existing markets for this car class ( plenty of european and asian cities )
With modern batteries and drivetrain can come quite close to being almost reasonable when compared to similar ICE cars, when factoring in maintenance and fuel costs. Especially considering local subsidies ( free parking, congestion charge exemptions, tax break on purchase ) Give it a few more years, rampup in lithium phosphate battery production and the stars will be perfectly aligned.
The problem for americans of course is that they dont even basically _HAVE_ that car class, while the likes of Fiat Panda, Hyundai getz, Japanese kei cars etc are popular elsewhere. But thats uniquely american problem only.
The proof, is in the pudding. Londonese G-Wiz, NICE Mega city, Norweigian Kewet and Th!nk, aggressive timelines for Mitsubishi MiEV and Subaru R1E, Nissan Mixim ? Bollore-Pininfarina BlueCar, the list is actually even longer than that.
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4-01-2008 @ 3:22PM
jeffzekas said...
I commute 20 miles, 10 miles each way. This car would be perfect for my use. Build it, and they will come (35,000 Smart cars sold-- so, HA! to all you cynics! And a Diesel Smart and an electric Smart are on the way!)
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4-01-2008 @ 3:37PM
Tim said...
(#5) Thanks! We ALL know that mass lower's EV range so why carry an ICE genset around if you don't need it?
The range-extender trailer is an excellent idea and we should be able to rent one at the same places where we now rent cars. When you reach your destination, leave it at grandma's house until the return trip or turn in in at the local car rental location and rent it again for the return trip. If the connections on trailer lights can be standardized, so can connections on range-extending trailers.
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4-01-2008 @ 4:20PM
Throwback said...
Smart has not "sold" 35,000 cars. They had 35,000 initial desposits of $99. Smart has not said how many people canceled their order, I canceled mine. Also once the initial "must have" demand is settled we will have a better idea of the market for micro cars. Personally I think the Toyota IQ is a superior design, and hope that Scion starts selling them.
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4-01-2008 @ 5:15PM
Wave54 said...
The first few comments all make some valid points, but the reality may be far different in the US unless a charging infrastructure is built. Unlike a cellphone, I can't take a Th!nk inside my apartment and charge it on the kitchen table.
The people most likely to want a "city car" are also those LEAST likely to have a garage or private driveway with an outdoor outlet for charging. Not everyone lives in suburban or rural America with an attached 3-car garage.
Until there are quick-charging stations and metered chargers available in parking lots or along urban streets, tens of millions of drivers who would benefit most from an EV are left in the lurch. Add to that the price, which would buy two 35 MPG Honda Fits, and success is not a guarantee.
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4-01-2008 @ 5:30PM
kert said...
"Until there are quick-charging stations and metered chargers available in parking lots or along urban streets"
Infrastructure. Thats exactly what eventually makes or breaks it. Now for your government, thats exactly one place where they could help out : instead of mandating how many vehicles need to be sold *cough CARB*, they could and should be helping out with building out the infrastructure.
Its already happening in Tokyo with TEPCO installing fast chargers for R1E and MiEV fleet prototypes.
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4-01-2008 @ 5:38PM
kert said...
Just FYI
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/special/eco/tvcm.html
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5-23-2008 @ 5:40AM
intusut said...
How can I put my old honda civic sedan to running with electri motor using li-ion battery.
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