The Ox’s batteries are centrally placed in two compartments in the lower frame. One can choose between two kinds of battery packs; The Zebra Sodium battery has high energy density, and provides long range independent of ambient temperature. The Zebra is “hot” battery, which means that its operating temperature is between 270 and 350 degrees. These batteries operate very efficiently in areas with very hot and very cold climate. The second type of battery is a Lithium-based system (from either A123 or Enerdel). Both lithium options operate at ambient temperatures. According to TH!NK this means that the car does not have to be plugged in when not in use.
Apart from the five-seat version, the same platform concept can be used to build an MPV version, suggested as a taxi, and a Coupe version, designed for higher performance.
Fully charged, TH!NK Ox’s city driving range is targeted at over 250km. Charging the vehicle using the onboard charger is done from a standard 230V/16A European outlet and will take approximately 12 hours. If the car is powered by lithium-ion batteries, it will take less than an hour to charge it to 80% capacity using a high power off-board fast charger.
The car has an unpainted, recyclable exterior and a 95% recyclable interior material. Ox’s interior is designed to be spacious and comfortable. The car’s interior can remain cool even when the engine is switched off thanks to a solar panel located in the car’s roof. Additionally, the Ox has a “DNA key-less entry”, which conveniently saves and automatically adjusts the car according to the user’s personal settings, keeping track of the seating position, mirrors, steering wheel, personal desktop and music preferences.
“TH!NK connectivity may give drivers feedback on their driving behaviour and guidance on optimising energy usage by providing real time energy consumption information while driving. In real time, the navigation system will graphically display how far the car can go one-way, given the current battery charge level, how far the car can go round trip, and how much battery charging time is required to reach a specific destination. Additional examples of EV integration will include smart energy usage, giving the user the ability to remotely request that the vehicle be pre-heated or pre-cooled while still plugged into a power outlet, via the Internet or a mobile phone”, explains the company.
A short film featuring TH!NK Ox can be watched here.
TFOT recently covered Milner Motors’ 4-door, 4-seat, 4-wheel, plug-in hybrid ElectriCar. Other ‘green’ cars previously covered by TFOT are the Air Car CityCat – with efficiency of 106 miles to the gallon, the Thermal Glider– an autonomous underwater vehicle powered by ‘green’ energy, and the Jeep Renegade, designed by Chrsyler to be the ultimate ‘green’ outdoor vehicle.
More information about TH!NK Ox can be found on the company’s website.
