Norwegian electric-car company says it aims to bring a five-seater vehicle to the United States as early as late 2010. Norwegian electric-car company Think Global, who are partnered with battery startup A123Systems and have General Electric among its investors, plans to bring its five-seater crossover concept, called the Think Ox, to the U.S. market as early as 2010, said Don Cochrane, the company’s U.K. sales and marketing director. “With a top speed of 85 mph and a 125 miles range, the car has been designed with the United States in mind, but will also be sold globally”

Cochrane added that the company may add a serial hybrid powertrain, which would pair the electric motor with an petrol engine for unlimited range. General Electric has invested $4 million into Think and $20 million in A123 Systems. Think have signed an agreement to buy batteries from lithium-ion manufacturer A123 Systems. Last week, Think Chairman Jan-Olaf Willums said the electric-car company would likely partner with a large automaker to build a bigger vehicle.
The funding brings GE’s total stake in the battery startup to $20 million, making it the largest investor according to the announcement (also see Earth2Tech).
A123 has had a relationship with GE since 2006, when the bigger company invested in the startup’s $30 million second round of private-equity funding. In October, Willums told Greentech Media that Think was in the process of signing a development deal with A123Systems after its deal with Tesla Motors fell through. Last month, Think said it had signed a deal with Enova Systems to provide at least 1,000 power-control units for its small Think City electric cars this year (see Green Cars Cruise Forward).
In February, Gartner analyst Thilo Koslowski said the stream of announcements of alternative-vehicle partnerships shows that companies are “heading in the right direction” because they are focusing on setting up supply and distribution chains — an important step toward mass production and distribution.