"CARB certification is critical for fleet sales, not just in California, but in the other CARB states as well," said THINK spokesperson Brendan Prebo. "These states make up more than 35 percent of the automobile market in the U.S. and represent a significant share of the fleet market."
Designed for fleet applications and urban commuters, the THINK City is durable, highly maneuverable and fun to drive. The THINK City has a range of 100 miles, which meets CARB's Type II ZEV Tier requirements, and uses an advanced lithium-ion battery developed by Ener1.
THINK will begin delivering vehicles to fleet customers soon. THINK plans to roll out retail distribution in select cities in the second half of 2011. The retail distribution timeline coincides with the company's plans to expand production at its Elkhart, Ind. manufacturing facility. The company also builds the THINK City in Finland for sale in Europe, where the car has been highway-certified since 1999.
Low emission vehicles are expected to witness good growth as they are being accepted across the globe. Currently, low emission market is dominated by Full Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FHEVs) and expected to remain as market leader during the forecasted period. The market of North America is expected to be the biggest one for FHEVs. However, our research says that market for PHEVs and BEVs will develop at a faster rate due to governments’ initiatives to develop charging infrastructure in battery technology. The governments of Europe and China are promoting BEVs due to presence of competitive advantages over the other countries. China can shift to electric vehicle propulsion technology faster than its counterparts due to its ability to heavily invest in its development. Europe is already well equipped when it comes to charging infrastructure for EVs.
ReplyDeleteThe most widely used batteries for Zero Emission Vehicle Report are lead-acid batteries, Nickel-Cadmium batteries (NiCad), metal hydride batteries (NimH), and lithium ion batteries. Till date, the mass produced FHEV cars have been powered by nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries. However, there are certain noticeable rapid shifts in consumption pattern of batteries used for HEVs. Due to high energy density of lithium ion battery, loads of FHEV manufacturers such as Honda Motors (Japan) and Ford Motors (Germany) will be switching over to the lithium ion battery for FHEV. As an outcome, lithium ion battery is expected to capture the lion’s share in automotive battery market by 2017.