Ford of Canada delivers first TH!NK city electric vehicle in Canada to Ballard Power Systems 
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Photo: Ford

Ford of Canada, president and CEO, Bobbie Gaunt delivers the first
TH!NK city electric vehicle in Canada to Kip Smith, president of Ballard Power Systems, at Science World in Vancouver on Thursday morning, September 21, 2000. The Norwegian built unit is powered by a liquid-cooled three-phase alternating current-induction motor and has a top speed of 90 km/hr. It will be available in North America within two years.

Vancouver, Canada - "The TH!NK city is truly an ideal car for use in Vancouver. It is a stylish, compact, two-seat, battery-powered electric vehicle designed with urban communities in mind," said Gaunt. "It can take you from most Vancouver suburbs - let's say Coquitlam, White Rock or West Vancouver - to your job downtown and back, and still have enough power to do errands on the way home," she added.  

TH!NK city provides comfortable transportation for two adults and is designed for urban driving, with a real-world driving range of approximately 85 kilometres, a 0 - 50 km/h time of seven seconds and a top speed of 90 km/h.  

A liquid-cooled three-phase alternating current-induction motor powers the car. Nineteen nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries - also water-cooled for maximum performance - generate approximately 11.5-kilowatt-hours of energy to power the motor.  

For easy recharging, customers can plug the TH!NK city directly into any 220-volt/16-amp outlet. It takes approximately eight hours to fully charge a drained battery and five hours to attain an 80 percent charge at 220 volts - the same voltage that runs most kitchen stoves and clothes dryers.  

Most of the vehicle is recyclable, including its NiCad batteries and the thermoplastic body panels.  

Today's delivery of this Norwegian-built unit marks the start of Ford of Canada's national demonstration program geared to put up to 50 battery-electric THINK city vehicles on the road over the next two years.  

"We're looking for unique opportunities to demonstrate our TH!NK city in a real-world environment," says Terry Spyropoulos, Ford of Canada brand manager for alternative fuel and TH!NK Group vehicles. "Electric vehicles are ideal in stop-and-go city driving because they produce zero tailpipe emissions and offer reduced maintenance and improved efficiency over the gasoline engine."  

TH!NK city went into production in November 1999 in Norway and is currently sold in Scandinavia. A North American version of the TH!NK city is under development and will be available within two years.  

(Sept. 21, 2000)