FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS:
THINK CITY
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1. Characteristics of the Think City electric car 2. Recharging process 3. Legislation
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
1. Characteristics of the Think City electric car What performance does the Think electric car offer? The Think electric car has the following technical characteristics:
Maximum speed of 120 km/h.
40 HP power.
Range up to 200 km.
How is the car started? To start the car, the gear stick must be in park position, “P”. Do not step on the accelerator or the brake pedal. Next, the steps for starting the motor are: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Insert the ignition key. Turn the key to the second ignition point. Wait for the check; the panel lights will turn on and off. Turn the key to the third point and release it (the key does not remain in the third ignition point).
Once the car has started, the green light at the left end of the group of indicators will remain lit.
How many gears does the car have? The car has a 5-position automatic gearbox:
“P” is the park mode and is only used to immobilise the car when it is parked. “R” is the reverse gear. “N” is the car's neutral gear. “D” is the forward gear with regenerative brake disabled. Suitable for inter-urban or fast roads. “E” is the economy gear with regenerative brake enabled. Suitable for city driving. When the accelerator is released, the regenerative brake is enabled and the car holds.
To change gear, simply press the side button on the gear lever and move it forward or backwards. The indicator of the selected gear is lit at all times.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
What about the car's warranty? The car has a 3-year warranty that covers both parts and labour. As the other components, the battery also has a 3year warranty.
What do the instruments and lights on the panel indicate?
What kind of maintenance is needed? The car has no mechanical parts that require scheduled ma intenance. Neither does it use oil. The electric motor requires no maintenance. The customer only needs to ensure proper maintenance of the wheels and brake pads for safety 's sake. An annual service is recommended.
The car will not start. What can I do? Confirm that the gear lever is in park position (“P”) and the charge cable has been unplugged from the car. Confirm that there are no fault lights lit on the instrument panel. If they do come on, contact the support service. Remove the ignition key and retry the complete start-up process.
What safety level do electric cars offer? The Think City meets all EC and EU requirements in terms of safety (4 Euro NCAP stars) for M1 category (car). The develop ment and implementat ion of the safe ty elemen ts have been carrie d out w ith the collaborat ion of leading c ompanies su ch as Aut oliv, Bos ch Ger many, British Steel Aut omotive Engineerin g Group UK, Lotus Engineering UK, Ford Motor Company UK, TNO / TASS Netherlands and Tecosim UK . It has successfully passed over 50 perf ormance tests and 20 impact test s. Moreover, it has successfully passed all the electrical insulation tests, including total immersion in salt water with all the electrical systems enabled.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
Standard equipment includes double ai rbag, ABS b rakes and seatbelts w ith inertia reel, pressure li mitation and inertial switching-off system in the event of an impact. It also has a front impact-absorbin g chassis, made of high ten sile steel and welded by robot ic me ans. Highresistance bars and foam to protect against side impacts and aluminium profiles to protect against overturning.
What is the degree of environmental responsibility in its manufacture and use?
16% of the materials are recycled.
95% of the materials used are recyclable.
80% efficiency in the vehicle's traction.
Zero local emissions, of both CO2 and nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.
Manufacturing process with zero carbon emissions and minimum waste material.
Absolutely silent operation.
Absence of oil and other waste.
The resin-panel bodywork avoids th e painting process and, as a result, energy consu mption and pollutan t emission.
What is the level of efficiency and reliability of the Think electric car?
Practically non-existent maintenance costs (p eriod recommen ded by the manufacturer: 2 hou rs e very 18 months). Absence of oil, filters and spark plugs. Moreover, the regenerative brake reduces brake and wheel wear.
Minimum fault incidence (only 600 parts), high availability. High reliability proven in tests conducted over several months in Austria, Holland and Sweden with actual fleets.
Discount on the cost of insurance and road tax, as well as free parking in some cities.
Adequate load capacity and reduced dimensions.
Scratchproof and knockproof bodywork for city use.
Reduced accident rate (limited speed, leisurely driving…).
How much does an electric car consume compared to a conventional combustion engine vehicle? The Think City is the city electric car par excellence, as it offers very high performance (0 to 50 km/h in 6.5 s and 0 to 100 km/h in 10 s), long range (200 km) and 120 km/h maximum speed. All this combined with excellent standard equipment, an attractive design and perfect dimensions for parking it anywhere. Its energy c onsumption is only € 1.5 per 1 00 km, compared t o a m inimum o f € 5 f or any conventional co mbustion engine car, i.e., 70% less than conventional cars. In addition, it emits no CO2 and the motor is much less noisy.
What type of subsidies does the car receive?
MOVELE Plan: €6,962. Exempt from vehi cle re gistration t ax (vehicles tha t emit more than 120 gr of C O2 pay 7% of the car's taxable base, which can amount to around €1,000 for a car with a €15,000 taxable base). 75% deduction in road tax: the annual road tax in Madrid (varies by province) for the Think is €16. Exempt in Madrid from payment of regulated parking for the car (will s oon be available in Barcelona and Seville).
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
2. Recharging process If I have no garage and I park it on the street, or when I travel, where can I charge it? When will recharging points be installed? The rech arging infrastructure will be developed gradually as th e electric vehicle market grows. At present, to guarantee adequate service you will need to have a recharging point in a private car park (individual or collective). In the short term, the installation of 500 recharging points is being planned in Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. Other cities are also planning to install recharging points.
If I live in a block of flats with a communal garage, how do I charge the car? In order to be able to monitor your vehicle's consumption you will need to register an individual supply point. To do so, simply contact an authorised electrician, who will do th e installation and take care of the procedures with the distribution company. Ho wever, it is necessary t o take into account the power that each ele ctric car model requires for charging. In any case, IBERDROLA can give you advice and, if you wish, we can get you in touch with an authorised electrician so that he can provide the IBERDROLA recharge solution that is most suitable for your vehicle, as well as the most appropriate energy offer. Moreover, legislation already authorises and facilitates this type of installations for communal garages. Specifically, the Horizontal Property Act 49/1960, dated 21 July. Art. 17 on Owners' Association agreements (according to Act 19/2009, dated 23 November): “3. In the cas e of installing a recharge point in th e building garage for el ectric vehicles intended for private use, as long as it is located in an individual parking space, the only requirement is to inform the association beforehand that the in stallation is t o be carried out. Th e cost of such installatio n s hall be bo rne in full by the interes ted parties.” How do I recharge the car? The use of a specific Charge Module is recommended to recharge the battery. If you need advice on the installation of this module, you can call our Customer Service telephone number 901 20 20 20. The cable for recharging the batteries is kept in the car's boot. The process is very straightforward: simply plug one end of the cable into the side of the vehicle an d the othe r end directly in to the specific Charge Module. It i s important to pay attent ion to the ca ble's charger and make sure that the vehi cle i s connected and rece iving electricity.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
Would I have to change the power in my (single-family) house in order to charge the Think? It is advisable to charge the vehicle overnight, when the power demand of a single-family home is low, and the 3.7 kW of powe r required by the electric vehicle 's ch arger are available. If you do not wa nt to be limited to night hours, we recommen d th at you contract at leas t 6.9 kW fo r a ho use wi th standard appliances (with out electr ic heating). In any case, IBERDROLA can give you advice and provide the recharge solution, as well as the energy offer that best meets your needs.
How long does it take to recharge the car? It takes 7 hours to charge the battery to 80% of battery completely.
its ca pacity; appr oximately 12 hour s are needed to charge the
What do the lights on the external charger indicate? The car has a box inserted in the charge cable. This box consists of an electronic system that controls the charging process and protects the car in the event of an anomaly in the electric current.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
What is the estimated useful life of the batteries? The battery maintain s a pract ically full charge capacity for approximately 1,000 comp lete charge and disch arge cycles. This means that if you recharge the car when it still has 50% charge left, this counts as half a charge cycle. Depending on the dr iving style, the se cha rge and discharge cycles could re present around 180, 000 k m. In other words, many years when the vehicle is used mainly in a city. Upon re aching these ch arge and disch arge cycles, the batte ry does not st op work ing, it si mply l ooses ch arging capacity and the range i s reduced. You can use the battery until the range it provides is n o longer acceptable. At that time you would simply replace the battery, which is a straightforward process.
How are the batteries recycled? All the batteries are recy clable: they are colle cted at the deal erships with the requ ired packing and transpo rt safety measures and sent to the manufacturer, where they are recycled.
How many kilometres can I do on a full charge? The range will vary depending on the driving style, the type of road and whether the heating or air conditioning is being used. In optimum conditions, up to 203 km can be driven with one single charge.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
Can I leave the car charging and forget about it? It is not ne cessary t o w ait for the car to ch arge or unplug th e cable immediately after the b attery has been charged. The car manages the charging process and switches off automatically once it has been completed. You can switch it off the next morning even though the charging process has ended hours before.
How long can the car be left without charging? It is advisabl e to leave all electric vehicles plu gged in whenever they are not being u sed, as this contribute s to preserve the battery. Leaving the car without charging for more than a week is not recommended, since as soon as the car is not being used, car energy is consumed to keep the batteries at an adequate temperature.
What happens if the car is left without charging for more than a week? If the car is not charged for more than a week or ten days, the battery will run down and its temperature will drop, and 30 hours of recharging will be needed to recover the battery's temperature and charge all the energy. However, full battery discharge will not affect its operation or duration, it will simply require more time next time it is charged.
Can I unplug the car at any time? Indeed, it is not essential to do a full charge. If y ou need to use the car, y ou can unplug it at any time while it is being charged.
How can I tell what the remaining range is? Similarly to a fuel gauge, the ca r ha s a needle on th e left- hand s ide of the c ontrol panel wh ich show s the percentage of charge available. When the battery charge drops to 1 0%, the reser ve indi cator w ill co me on. When the ch arge is down to 5%, this indicator will start blinking.
The car will not charge. What can I do? Confirm that the gear lever is in park position (“P”) and the cable is properly connected to the car an d the power point. Confirm that there is electricity at the socket and it is in good working condition. The Power light on the cable box should be lit, and the Car Link light should be blinking, meaning that there is a connection between the car and the socket. If the Power light does not come on, t here is a problem with the socket, because there is no volt age or there is a earth connection problem with the installation. Try with another socket. Do not use excessively long extension cables to charge the car. They introduce resistance, which limits the charging current and prevents the car from charging. Confirm that there are no fault lights lit on the instrument panel. If they do come on, contact the support service.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS: THINK CITY
3. Legislation What type of driving licence do I need? The Think electric car requires the conventional driving licence, B1.
On which roads can I drive this car? This car can be driven on any type of thoroughfare.
Does it need to pass the MOT? Under current legislation, electric cars, as any other combustion engine vehicle, must pass the technical inspection at regular intervals, as established by law.
How much does the insurance for this type of vehicle cost? Can I insure it with the same company as my other family vehicles? Yes, these cars are the same as comb ustion engine vehi cles and any comp any can insure them. The c ost o f the insurance will depend on each insurance company and on the cover, but it should be similar to that of combustion engine vehicles in their segment.
What types of subsidies apply to vehicles?
Subsidy according to Royal Decree 648/2011 dated 9 May 2011: €6,000€ *. Exemption of vehicle registration tax (vehicles which emit over 120 gr/ gr/co2 pay 7% of the taxable base, which may amount to 1,000€ for a vehicle with a taxable base of 15,000€). Allowance of 75% of vehicle registration: annual registration tax for Madrid (variable per province) for the Think is 16€. Exemption in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Pamplona of payment for vehicle controlled parking.
* The subsidy is subject to availability and fulfilment of the established requirements. Buying more than one unit involves a higher associate subsidy .
