Ford Th!ink Bike

Photo: Ford

Dearborn, Mich. - Ford Motor Company announced the first shipment of environmentally-friendly electric bicycles to Vietnam. The TH!NK bike e.go offers customers in congested metropolitan areas a fun, affordable and clean method of transportation.  

The TH!NK bike e.go is the first product from Ford Motor Company's TH!NK brand to be introduced in Asia. 

The TH!NK bike e.go is a specially designed 6-speed electric bicycle powered by a 24-volt direct drive system supplied by Currie Technologies Inc. (USA) for the Vietnamese market. The system offers full power-on-demand to riders at the simple switch of a lever and provides rapid acceleration up to 16 miles per hour (26 kilometers per hour) with enough torque to climb most hills. Riders have the option of pedaling and shifting normally or utilizing on-board electric power with zero emissions. 

"Asia is the world's largest market for bicycles with hundreds of millions of residents relying on bikes not just for recreation, but for basic transportation," said Dan Schneble, manager of Electric Vehicle Programs for Ford Asia Pacific. "TH!NK bike e.go offers a zero emission alternative to traditional gas-powered motor scooters and motorbikes without sacrificing reliability and affordability." 

The TH!NK bike e.go will be offered in Vietnam through Ford Vietnam Limited and will be available in the fall of 2000. Price will be announced closer to the market launch date in Vietnam. 

The TH!NK brand is dedicated to providing fun and innovative solutions for personal mobility in a way that is friendly to the planet. Additionally, Ford is the only automaker to dedicate an independent brand to the development, marketing and delivery of a full line of zero emission vehicles. 

TH!NK is now a world-wide brand with products in Asia, Europe and North America. This year, TH!NK began selling the two-seat TH!NK city electric commuter car in Norway and two electric pedal assist bikes -- the TH!NK bike fun and TH!NK bike traveler in the United States. Next year, the company will begin delivery of the TH!NK neighbor in the U.S. The TH!NK neighbor is a low speed electric vehicle designed for commuting around closed communities, industrial sites, resorts and private roads. A version of the TH!NK city designed for the U.S. will be introduced in 2002. 

The TH!NK bike e.go was co-designed with Currie Technologies, Inc., a leader in electric personal transportation technology. 

(August 31, 2000)