(Tue 25 Mar 08)

The long and sometimes difficult career of the Norwegian Th!nk electric car is in one of its better phases at the moment, to the point where it has now been confirmed as going on sale in the UK later this year.

The original Th!nk dates back to 1991, and there was a boom period of four years when the Ford became a major shareholder in the project. That ended in 2003, but three years later the company was bought by a Norwegian investment consortium and a management team was installed. Further share issues in 2007 made it possible for Th!nk to go into production with its fifth-generation car.

The new Th!nk city uses coloured (but unpainted) ABS plastic, which is fully recyclable. The batteries are returned to the supplier once their useful life is over.

Standard equipment is at a reasonably high level, with power steering, central locking and electric windows and mirrors, while optional extras include air-conditioning, a heated windscreen, a full-length sunroof, an radio/CD/MP3 audio system, Bluetooth compatibility, alloy wheels, navigation and a roof rack.

Top speed is 65mph, and in city driving the Th!nk has a range of 124 miles on a fully charged battery. You charge it by plugging it into the mains for ten hours, and on this basis the power cost of running the car for 10,000 miles is estimated at around £125.

But if it's cheap to run, it's not exactly cheap to buy. The UK price has not yet been confirmed, but is expected to be around £14,000.

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