Th!nk Global, a Norway-based electric car maker, has plans to enter the North American market in 2009 with their Th!nk city electric car. TH!NK North America will be a partnership between Th!nk Global and clean-tech investors RockPort Capital Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers.

While GM develop the Chevrolet Volt and attempt to obtain a reasonable range when under electric propulsion, the little Th!nk city car appears to have it all sorted out.

Th!nk Global claim a single charge range of 180km (110miles) and a top speed of 100km/h (65mph). The best bit is the price, with the diminutive and quite smart looking (no pun intended) Th!nk city car expected to cost $US15 -17,000. The price is kept to a reasonable level because you never actually own the batteries, they are leased with a monthly fee of between $US100-200.

The Th!nk city car is powered by Lithium Ion batteries and it is expected that the North American cars will be supplied batteries by A123 Systems and EnerDel. A123 Systems is the same company that is developing Lithium Ion batteries for the Chevy Volt.

According to Th!nk Global, the Th!nk city car is the world’s only crash-tested and highway-certified electric vehicle, it is emission free and also 95% recyclable. Interestingly, Ford owned Th!nk from 1999 up to 2003 but sold out (as they do) when California moved away from its zero emissions regulations, perhaps a short-sighted move by Ford?

GALLERY » think-city