"We were able to close a contract with the remainder cars available for immediate delivery from THINK NORTH AMERICA. Cars are now priced at $15990 after government tax credits to eligible users. Most states have also excise tax incentives up to $2'000 so you might register it in your state without additional cost. This price is only available to the following ZEV CREDIT STATES and includes delivery to your house only if in mid Atlantic states ( courtesy of EUROSTAR automotive group ). Following are the ZEV CREDITS STATES : CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, MARYLAND, NEW MEXICO AND OREGON
If interested in this now affordable price on this amazing electric car please contact Tom at 1-410-922-1100 or send an email to tomm@eurostarautos.com
20 cars arriving in our dealership in RANDALLSTOWN MD TUESDAY"
I spoke with Tom today, he is very positive about the future of Think under the new owner in Russia and the new engineering team in Munich. Tom is quite confident of parts availability from the Elkhart Indiana facility.
I am not clear on the details of shipping outside of those eleven states that follow CARB rules. From what I can tell, you can still buy a Think but there is a chance it will cost about $4000 more if registered outside of the CARB states listed above. Again, I am not certain of this.
Wow, so that's what Think did with their cars!
ReplyDeleteI still like the Fiat I bought last October. Only things I don't like is it was not assembled in the USA and is not electric or hybrid. I do get 36mpg which is 3mpg better than the EPA rating, so I'm happy about that.
We installed a (Schneider Electric) evse in the garage last December (before the tax credit expired.) My husband will buy an electric car in about a year.
Hi Jill, sorry you were not able to get a Think this time around. You were hounding them long before I was.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure your husband doesn't want one though? These are much cheaper now than what he will be able to get next year probably. But maybe he needs four seats... Anyway, there might still be time if his is interested.
I hope they do a better job with marketing when the new models come out. It was like pulling teeth to get them to sell the 2011 cars here. Maybe there will be a four door when Think comes back.
Hello
ReplyDeleteI am about to pick up a 2011 Think from the MD dealership.
I have a 220v a/c plug right next to the garage. Can I just pick up an adapter for this, and plug-and-play?
Newbie here
Thanks
GB
Hi gonzaga
ReplyDeleteIn the US, the safety box that comes with EVs is setup for 120 volts. You could make or buy an adapter to let you take 120 volts from a 240 volt outlet, but I don't think that is what you are asking.
The fastest charging rate is at 240 volts of course, and you will need a 240 volt safety box to take advantage of that. This interface device is called an "EVSE" for "Electric Vehicle Service Equipment" in the National Electrical Code, but I just call it a safety box. There are many brands available now, some that can be plugged into 240 volts although most require hardwiring in the US for 240. Leviton is an exception, they offer an EVSE that will plug into 240:
http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ProductDetail.jsp?partnumber=EVB22-3PM§ion=37741&minisite=10251
There have been rumors of compatibility problems between Leviton EVSE and a couple brands of cars, so maybe buy it from a retailer with an easy return policy. I believe Home Depot and Lowes both sell EVSEs, although maybe not Leviton.
I have heard that the Think will charge directly from 240 volts without the EVSE (assuming you can get the J1772 plug for the car wired to a plug for the outlet in your garage) but it will default to the slower charge rate of 11 or 12 amps. This is still faster than 120 volts but the Think will pull 15 or 16 amps if the EVSE tells the car it is safe to do so.
Also, the EVSE (safety box) keeps the plug that goes into the car de-energized until it is inserted and the car says it is OK to apply power, so it really is much safer to use an EVSE especially if kids are around. And the EVSE verifies the safety ground connection, polarity (on 120 volt connections at least), and does some other technical stuff that is good to have.
So I really recommend getting a 240 volt EVSE if you need the faster charging. I admit I have charged the Mini EV without a safety box years ago, but not often. And with my present short commute, I almost always use the 120 volt EVSE at home with the Think EV. I do have a portable 240 volt EVSE which we use on the road, see this older post:
http://minie458.blogspot.com/2012/03/guerrilla-charging.html
You can also buy just the J1772 plug and cord:
http://www.newark.com/multicomp/dsi-ev32p-3c/plug-ev-j1772-32a-3m-cable/dp/75T6615?in_merch=Popular%20Cable%20Assemblies
Thanks Jim
ReplyDeleteAny possibility of using Level 3 charging?
There is a Chademo-compliant L3 charger at a Nissan dealership 90 or so miles away.
Thanks
You are welcome, gonzaga
ReplyDeleteNo to chademo here. EnerDel was working on DC fast charging when the bankruptcy hit. (Hey, they latest longer through the Great Recession than either GM or Chrysler!) We will have to wait for the 6th gen Thinks for DC fast charging, and frankly that is not something I has heard about in any of the rumors.
Being that it is not a Japanese product, I would not expect the new Thinks (whenever they come out) to use the chademo interface anyway, which is proprietary. I would bet on an industry standard like the coming update to SAE J1772 (which the IEEE is also helping with) or maybe some ISO standard, if they ever get their act together.
I do know people in Norway who have hacked their 4th generation Thinks and doubled the charge rate, but that is a 119 volt battery or so, which is much less dangerous to mess with compared to the nearly 400 volts in the 5th gen Think. I will not even consider it. (Well, maybe when the warranty runs out and my wife buys extra life insurance on me. Ha ha.)