Supercharged TH!NK electric car due to hit UK 'late 2008'

The ranks of electric cars on sale in the UK are set to swell later this year with the arrival of the sprightly TH!NK city runabout.

Joining the 'smart ed', which tops out at 60mph and 72 miles, won't be able compete with the TH!NK.

The longer range, unsurprisingly, needs a longer charge. While today's electric cars take between six and eight hours to charge fully, the TH!NK takes ten hours to power fully. Running costs are estimated at £125 per 10,000 miles. That's about 1.25p a mile, and exactly halfway between the usual stated costs of the G-Wiz and the Mega City.

According to the team behind TH!NK, 95 per cent of the car -- including the battery -- is recyclable. That's good, though it's worth bearing in mind other electric city cars like the Mega City are also made from recyclable components.

One thing that it certainly stands apart on is spec. The optional extras include a sunroof, sat-nav system and built-in Bluetooth for law-abiding hands-free chatting.

We can't wait to take the TH!NK for a spin, but all this luxury -- by electric standards -- does come at a price. The car's expected to cost £14,000, which is a cool £4K more than most of its peers and around the same price as a second-hand Toyota Prius.

Jammy Norwegians are due to get the car this spring, but us UK drivers will have to wait 'til October 2008 at the earliest.

The TH!NK car's due to hit the UK in the last quarter of 2008