INDIANAPOLIS - The State of Indiana on Wednesday took delivery of 15 THINK City electric passenger cars for use principally by the Department of Resources in the State's park system, according to a release from THINK.

Governor Mitch Daniels presided over a vehicle presentation today at Fort Harrison State Park outside of Indianapolis. The cars were delivered to the Department of Administration.

Indiana Department of Administration director Rob Wynkoop, whose agency maintains the state vehicle fleet, said, "We saw this specific green initiative as an opportunity to test alternative energy vehicles in real-life situations.  We believe the state parks provide the best locations to test these vehicles."

According to the automaker, the 15 vehicles, shipped from THINK's manufacturing facility in Elkhart, Ind., will be the first electric passenger vehicles with American-made, lithium-ion batteries used in a U.S. fleet operation.

The THINK City model is an all-electric car designed in Scandinavia for fleet applications and urban commuters.  The THINK City can travel 100 miles on a single charge. THINK recently announced that its City vehicle was approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV).

Mass deployment of electric vehicles in the state of Indiana is being facilitated by Project Plug-IN, an initiative organized by the Energy Systems Network (ESN), which is creating ecosystems to support electric transportation. 

By early 2011, ESN expects to place 100 or more electric vehicles and supporting charging infrastructure with government and corporate fleets, as well as selected individual commuters, across the Indianapolis metropolitan area, according to the release.