Think City EV Places 3rd in E-Miglia 2010 Alpine Rally, Shares Podium With Teslas
By John O'Dell August 19, 2010
Team Move About Bosch's Think City EV climbed five Alpine passes - and used regenerative braking to recapture some of that energy on the way down - to place third in the recently completed E-Miglia 2010 rally for electric vehicles.
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You'd expect a Tesla or two to be atop the winners' podium in almost any kind of electric car race - it's among the fastest and most agile, and boasts the longest single-charge range, of the EVs on the market and unless in the hands of a particularly inept driver should be at the head of the pack.
But a Think City - designed to be driven at a more sedate pace in mostly urban settings and with a range of no more than 100 miles under the best of conditions? Well, it's no Tesla.
So Norwegian EV maker Think has won some pretty good bragging rights after team driving a Think City finished third overall in the 350-mile, four-day E-Miglia 2010 rally for electric vehicles, running a course that began in Munich, crossed the Alps and finished in the northern Italian town of Rovereto.
Heat and steep climbs are hard on electric car batteries, and it was both warm and steep in the EV rally's climb through the Alps, according to reports posted on the Rally Buzz website, which covered the event.
It's strong testimony for EVs in general that only one of the 25 entrants failed to finish the rally - which was held in stages and emphasized endurance rather than speed.
The third-place Think, one of five in the event - all finishers - was entered by the German branch of Scandinavian car-sharing company Move About, with sponsorship from Bosch, the giant electronics concern. It was, according to a statement released today by Think, a showroom stock model of the two-seat, plastic-bodied hatchback, complete with stereo and air conditioning.
It competed against vehicles from manufacturers such as Tesla, Fiat, Citroen, Smart, Tazzari and Jetcar as well as from small European shops running prototypes and hand-built one-offs.
Here's how the top three stacked up:
1st place: Team Energiebau,Tesla Roadster.
2nd place: Team JuWI Racing, Tesla Roadster, -2 minutes, 18 seconds.
3rd place, Team Move About Bosch, Think City, - 4 minutes, 27 seconds.
"Finishing in the top three is a really impressive achievement...particularly against so many high-performance race rivals," Team Move About Bosch driver Marcus Spiekermann said in a statement released by Think.
That's not just a bunch of inflated marketing talk. It was an impressive achievement and for it we offer Think a tip of our cap.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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