Ener1, Think silence rumors of rift with new Japan deal

The partnership is very much alive between New York-based Ener1 (Nasdaq:HEV) and Oslo, Norway’s Think Global.

The two companies announced today that they provided electric vehicle conversion technology to Japan's Zero Sports, one of the companies tapped by Japan Post to convert a quarter of its fleet of 22,000 vehicles from gas to electric. The first vehicle under the project has now been delivered.

Think Global CEO Richard Canny said the project represents a significant new business line and revenue opportunity for the partners in selling Think's proprietary EV drive system and Ener1's lithium ion batteries to third parties.

The news comes two weeks after Volvo signed a deal for Ener1's lithium-ion battery packs to power two, diesel-hybrid V70 demonstration cars, prompting Thomas Weisel Partners to speculate that Ener1 might be moving away from its partnership with Think (see Ener1 and Volvo team up, leaving Think behind?).

The electric postal truck uses an electric drive-train that Think originally developed for its Th!nk City electric car, while Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel supplied the lithium ion battery system.

The two companies began working together in 2007, when EnerDel developed a 26-kilowatt battery system for the Th!nk City vehicle (see Ener1, Think demonstrate operational battery pack)

The postal service project was organized by one of Ener1's major shareholders, Itochu, a Japanese trading company and distributor of manufacturing equipment used for lithium-ion battery production.

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