THINK City just announced that it will be working with Aerovironment to create a new fast-charge system for the Think City Electric vehicle. The goal? 80% charge in 15 minutes! This would address one key weakness of electric cars-long charging times that put the vehicles out of commission for hours once you’ve used up all the juice.
In a press release, Michael Bissonette, Aerovironment’s senior vice president and general manager of its Efficient Energy Systems business segment, commented on the collaboration:
“A safe, reliable and accessible charging infrastructure is necessary for broad adoption of electric vehicles such as the THINK City. Our portfolio of true fast-charge systems and commercial and home charge stations will help drivers integrate electric vehicles into their lives.”
However, according to Gizmag, the fast-charge systems are going to be aimed at commercial fleets-at home, you can use Think City’s 220-volt charging station or use a normal household outlet, with much longer charging times. Think City argues that this won’t be an issue, since it’s 100-mile range is long enough to meet most driver’s daily needs. Gizmag quotes THINK CEO Richard Canny:
“Our experience with more than 1,500 vehicles in use in Europe is that customers using the vehicle for daily commutes and trips around town quickly become comfortable with THINK City’s range of more than 100 miles. For them, the standard over-night charging is a very practical solution. Fast charging’s importance will be for high-use fleets.”