You might have seen the movie Who Killed the Electric Car? It tells the story of how General Motors scrapped a pilot project for an all-electric car called the EV1 for no apparent reason. But what few people know is that there was a second, even more successful electric car on the market that fell victim to the same cruel fate. Its name was Think. It was made by a small Norwegian company and then bought by Ford Motors, only to be destroyed in spite of huge demand both in the U.S. and Europe. But now, with a little help from Google, Al Gore and Porsche, Think is rising from the ashes and set to take centre stage in the fight against gas guzzlers and smog spewing behemoths on four wheels.

The story of the Think is as bizarre as that of the EV1. The world’s first all-electric production vehicle has gone from being a great innovation to a pawn in a high-level game between environmentalists and innovators on one side, and big oil and established automakers on the other.

In 1999, Ford bought the company to comply with the new Californian law stating that all auto manufacturers must have a zero-emissions vehicle in production. At the opening of the new factory, Ford CEO Jac Nasser stated “Think is what the auto industry needs at the turn of the century.” The factory had built 1000 vehicles when California shelved the new law, and with that Ford scrapped the Think project and sent the fleet to be turned to high-tech mulch.

After massive protests and involvement from the Norwegian government, the company finally agreed to send the doomed vehicles back to Norway to be sold to waiting customers. But with the exit of Ford, the future looked grim for the small and snazzy car.

Today, the company – renamed Think Global – is back on its feet and closing in on the launch of the new Think City, a bigger, more effective and safer all-electric vehicle ready for the mass market.

The car has become a truly global endeavour with a new chassis built by Peugeot, air bags from Ford, engine and transmission from a French/Italian company, battery controllers from California, and batteries from Switzerland. The company is also in talks with Google to make the car a “rolling computer.” And on Tuesday, it was announced that investment companies Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers of California and RockPort Capital Partners out of Boston are fronting the launch of Think North America to bring the car back to the country that only a few short years ago tried to destroy it. Not surprisingly, Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore is a partner in Kleiner Perkins in Menlo Park and will be sharing offices with the new green venture.

Ever wondered where the car of the future is? It’s in Norway where it’s been for the last 15 years. Why haven’t you heard of it and why isn’t it available at your local Auto Mall? It all boils down to one simple yet alarming fact: There is no money in electric vehicles for the big auto manufacturers, so they’d rather buy and destroy the ones that work than develop their own vehicles. With zero emissions and a cost of $3 per “tank,” Think is the future right now.

If you want more info on electric vehicles, visit the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association or the Electric Vehicle Society of Canada.

Happy Earth Day everyone!