TH!NK City

It’s not perfect, but the TH!NK is a very clever clean, green car. The Ford design hides a solid, familiar interior, and with its 112-mile range and 60mph top speed, the newcomer will thrash the competition when it launches at the end of the year. Thank the very latest lithium-ion battery technology for that. The 10-hour charge time is pretty average for an electric car, but more shocking is the cost: £14,000 plus a £100 monthly battery lease. It might feel as quick as a supermini, but the City will have to think faster to tempt town dwellers to switch.

Thought you could never own an electric car? It’s time to TH!NK again.

The compact battery-powered run-about, which goes on sale in the UK at the end of the year, has a range of more than 100 miles, and a top speed of 60mph. Better still, it’s constructed to proper crash test standards and doesn’t look too bad, either!

But the key question is, how does the electric TH!NK perform on the road? From behind the wheel of the Norwegian-built 2+2, everything looks refreshingly normal. There’s a proper dash, familiar dials, automatic gearshifter, regular key – all made to a high standard. Only a charge gauge and prominent button marked ASSIST give away the fact that the car is powered by an electric motor.

And although the design is not as cool as that offered by the likes of the Smart ForTwo, room up front is on a par, plus buyers are given the option of cramming two children in the back seats, too. It all looks familiar, partly because of the plundered Ford parts. The TH!NK project was the blue oval’s baby until it bailed out in 2002, leaving the Norwegians scrabbling to fund the launch. Six years on, the car is back, with one big difference: the battery is lithium-ion – the latest, most powerful available.

Turn the Ford key and a hum alerts you that the 40bhp electric motor is ready to go. Shift into Drive, press the accelerator and it doesn’t have as much instant acceleration as some electric cars, but instead the silent shove builds and builds. It feels as quick as a supermini, confirmed by the quoted 6.5-second 0-30mph time – not bad as it weighs a hefty 1,400kg.

Our test route was too smooth to properly rate the TH!NK for its ability to soak up urban potholes, but it corners well. It helps that all the battery weight is placed low down. But the City is clever as well as green. Standard kit will include a function that lets owners send a text message to find out how much juice is left, or how far into the 10-hour empty-to-full charge they are – handy if you’re in the office and want to make sure you have enough charge to get home.

Should you grind to a halt mid-journey with a flat battery, that large ASSIST button alerts a call centre to your plight – although as the range is double that of main rival the G-Wiz, you shouldn’t need it.

Financial assistance would be more useful. The TH!NK City will cost a steep £14,000, with another £100 a month for battery rental. Making that pay is likely to be tough, even with estimated energy costs of only £110 per 10,000 miles – fuelling a Toyota Aygo over that distance is roughly £800. Bosses are banking on Londoners balancing the sums, but despite the pockets of free parking in the capital, Mayor Ken Livingstone’s decision to make low-emission cars like the Aygo exempt from the congestion charge will dent the City’s appeal. So will the electric version of the Mitsubishi i – due next year – which brings four adult seats and 85mph for £1,000 more. Still, the TH!NK’s long range should be a draw for the commuter with a conscience.