Norwegian electric vehicle manufacturer Think Global has teamed with Ener1, one of its battery partners, to make a significant breakthrough in the Japanese market.
Together the companies will supply a fully integrated electric drive-train powered by a lithium-ion battery system to Japan Post. This will be used for the conversion of delivery vehicles as part of a comprehensive road testing programme. Think and Ener1 will team with Zero Sports of Japan – Zero Sports has been chosen as one of the conversion partners for delivering electric vehicles as Japan Post aims to electrify its fleet of 22,000 delivery vehicles.
The drive-train allows the petrol-powered trucks to run entirely on electric drive. It will also be shared with other major users and potential customers of electric vehicles, including postal fleets in both Europe and the Americas.
It was initially developed for the Think City electric car – a three-door, two-seat electric vehicle that is powered by a 30kW electric motor. Indeed the complete system is the first of its kind to provide off-the-shelf availability with made-to-order performance on a wide variety of plug-in and electric vehicle applications.
Initially, the Japan Postal Service will convert 25 per cent of its fleet to electric drive. It will develop a fleet of purely electric vehicles for use in the Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures where the conversion vehicles are currently being tested.
