INDIANAPOLIS -- January 13, 2010 – Four Indianapolis Power & Light
Company (IPL) employees are among the first customers in the country to own and
drive pure electric cars from THINK™, the world’s leading dedicated electric
vehicle maker. Their cars were among 17 THINK City electric cars
delivered to utility fleet customers and employees in Indiana. Duke Energy
in Plainfield, Ind. received 10 electric THINK City cars, and the remainder
were delivered to Indianapolis Power & Light for company fleet use.
“I wanted to be among the first to buy an electric car, because I think
it’s the right thing to do,” said IPL employee Brenda Owens. “I don’t
like the fact that we are so dependent on imported oil. We need to find a
better alternative.” Owens also sees electric cars as a way to help her
employer find new markets for electricity.
“I’m spending a lot of time talking to people about electric cars,” she
continued. “Usually they want to know how many miles it goes on a gallon
[of gas]. They are surprised to find out it does not use any gas and that
this technology is here and available today.”
“Electric utilities and their employees are a natural extension of our
fleet strategy,” said THINK spokesperson Brendan Prebo. “By targeting
electric utilities in the early deployment of EVs, we can help address several
important challenges to the successful commercialization of these cars, such as
establishing residual values for batteries, the cost of installing
infrastructure and understanding the local impact of charging networks on the
grid. Electric utilities are impacted by all of these issues, not only as
customers, but also as fuel and service providers.”
Establishing residual values for batteries is an important industry
issue, because batteries contribute significantly to the overall cost of
electric vehicles. When advanced Lithium-ion batteries are no longer fit
for automotive use, they still may be able to store 70 - 80 percent of their
original energy capacity making them useful for grid applications such as
back-up energy storage.
THINK is working with Duke, IPL and the Energy Systems Network (ESN) to collect
data on the deployment and use of electric cars as part of Project Plug-IN.
THINK has contracted with Tom Wood Automotive in Indianapolis to support
the sale and service of THINK City electric cars in the metropolitan area.
“We are excited to be a part of the future of the auto industry, which
represents green, sustainable cutting-edge technology,” said Jeff Wood, CEO of
Tom Wood Automotive. “The fact that the cars are built in Indiana and are
being sold as part of Project Plug-IN, makes it part of a community effort that
we want to support.”
By early 2011, Project Plug-IN will
place 100 or more electric vehicles and supporting charging infrastructure with
government and corporate fleets, as well as selected individual commuters,
across the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
The THINK City model is an all-electric, zero-emission car designed in
Scandinavia for fleet applications and urban commuters.
Durable, highly maneuverable and with low maintenance, the THINK City can
travel 100 miles on a single charge, using advanced Lithium-ion batteries
manufactured in Indiana by Ener1, Inc. The vehicle has accumulated more than 35 million
road miles in customer experience since it was first safety certified in Europe
in 1999. THINK plans to roll out retail distribution in select U.S.
cities in the second half of 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment