Think relying on Goverment support more than you know

It's crunch time for Scandinavian electric car maker Think. Relying heavily on U.S. government loans, Think plans to ready its Indiana facility to achieve annual production capacity of 20,000 Think City electric vehicles (EVs) by 2013. Without those government funds, though. the plan is as good as dead. How do we know this? Think's chief marketing officer, Michael Lock, in an interview with GigaOM, said that his company's U.S. future rides on federal support: "Plan A is the only plan."

While Think expects to receive a status report on the loan by year's end, a lot must be done before production in Indiana can begin. Lock describes the Indiana facility as, "an empty box," and we all know that cars aren't produced in empty buildings, right? Think plans to begin production in 2011, but getting the facility ready in time might prove problematic. Lock explains that, "long-lead time items" at the facility and efforts to establish a work crew must get underway now or the timeline for production will be in jeopardy. If the loan is not approved, Think's presence in the North American market will be hindered. Still, the company is hoping and working for the best and could import additional City EVs from Finland if funds for its U.S. facility don't materialize soon

[Source: GigaOM]