Thinktogether Inc.

Thinktogether Inc. (株式会社シンクトゥギャザー) is a Japanese electric-vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture. Founded in January 2007 in Ota, Gunma, the company began as a developer of electric-vehicle components and micro-EVs, and today specializes in low-speed electric community vehicles — the category often called "green slow mobility" in Japan. Its flagship product line is the eCOM series of small electric buses, which are designed for tourist areas, theme parks, municipal shuttle services, and other short-distance transport applications. The company's core offering is the eCOM (イーコム) series, a family of battery-powered low-speed buses with a maximum speed of about 19 km/h. The eCOM-8, the company's mainstay, is an eight-wheel-drive vehicle using small in-wheel motors, with six-wheel steering for maneuverability in urban settings. Its battery is swappable and can be charged from a standard household 100V outlet, giving roughly 40 km of range on a full charge. The lineup has expanded over the years to include the two-seat eCOM-mini, the seven-seat eCOM-4, the ten-seat eCOM-8, the improved eCOM-82, and the sixteen-seat eCOM-10. Thinktogether's vehicles have been adopted by municipalities and operators across Japan, including the IKEBUS community bus in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, which began operation in November 2019 using custom eCOM-10 vehicles designed by Eiji Mitooka. Other adopters include Kiryu City, Tomioka City, Midori City, Minakami Town, Izu-Hakone Bus, and various tourist sites. The company also acts as a distributor for Access Corporation products, selling electric motorcycles, electric trikes, and electric wheelchairs. Thinktogether remains a privately held company with capital of 1 million yen, led by president Masahiro Munemura. It continues to develop and sell low-speed electric vehicles, with ongoing price revisions reflecting raw-material and labor cost trends, and has explored partnerships such as one with AGC Corporation to develop next-generation mobility solutions.

Thinktogether Inc. was established in January 2007 in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, as a company focused on electric-vehicle development. In March 2009, it joined the Gunma University Next-Generation EV Research Group, aligning itself with local academic research on electric and autonomous vehicles. The company began developing and manufacturing electric vehicles in 2010, completing its first micro-EV, the TT1, in August 2010, followed by the μ-TT2 in December 2010. In May 2010 it had already developed a suspension unit for EVs. The company's breakthrough came in September 2011 with the completion of the eCOM-8, a small electric bus that would become its mainstay product. A second eCOM-8 was completed in October 2011, and both vehicles obtained license plates in 2012. In May 2013, the company relocated its headquarters from Ota City to its current location in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture. Throughout 2013 and 2014, additional eCOM-8 units were completed and registered, and in January 2014 the bare chassis of the two-seat low-speed EV eCOM-mini was completed, followed by the eCOM-mini TRUCK bare chassis in December 2014 and the completed eCOM-mini in January 2015. In 2015, the company completed the NPRTT1, a research vehicle of the same type as the TT1, for Nippon Piston Ring. In May 2016, a smaller version called the NPReCOM-mini was completed. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in January 2017. In March 2017, it completed the eCOM-10, a larger bus than the eCOM-8, which also served as a base vehicle for autonomous driving development. The eCOM-10 obtained its license plate in September 2017. In June 2018, the improved eCOM-82 was completed, and the first eCOM-82 was delivered in July 2018. A major milestone came in 2019 when the company's eCOM-10 was selected as the base for the IKEBUS community bus in Toshima Ward, Tokyo. The first IKEBUS vehicle was delivered in August 2019, followed by vehicles 2 through 7 in October 2019, and operations began on November 27, 2019. The remaining vehicles 8 through 10 were delivered in February 2020, completing the fleet of ten custom vehicles designed by Eiji Mitooka. This project brought significant media attention to Thinktogether. In 2020, the company delivered eCOM-10 vehicles to Izu-Hakone Bus for use as a shuttle between Numazu Station and Numazu Port. In January 2021, the eCOM-4 obtained its license plate, and sales began in April 2021. The company continued to deliver vehicles to various municipalities and operators across Japan, including Kiryu City, Tomioka City, Midori City, Minakami Town, and numerous tourist sites. In 2022, it announced a partnership with AGC Corporation to explore new needs for next-generation mobility toward solving social issues and realizing a sustainable society. The company has continued to revise prices for its eCOM models in response to rising raw material, parts, and labor costs, with revisions announced for the 2023 and 2024 model years.

• Thinktogether Inc. established in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture.

• Joined Gunma University Next-Generation EV Research Group.

• Developed suspension unit for EVs.

• Completed micro-EV TT1.

• Completed micro-EV μ-TT2.

• Completed eCOM-8, the mainstay small electric bus.

• Completed second eCOM-8.

• First eCOM-8 obtained license plate.

• Second eCOM-8 obtained license plate.

• Headquarters relocated from Ota City to Kiryu City.

• eCOM-8 units 3–5 completed and registered.

• Bare chassis of two-seat low-speed EV eCOM-mini completed.

• eCOM-8 units 6–7 completed and registered.

• eCOM-8 unit 8 completed.

• eCOM-mini TRUCK bare chassis completed.

• eCOM-mini completed.

• eCOM-8 units 9–10 completed.

• eCOM-8 unit 11 completed and registered.

• NPRTT1 completed for Nippon Piston Ring.

• eCOM-8 units 12–13 completed and registered.

• NPReCOM-mini completed.

• eCOM-8 unit 14 completed and registered.

• 10th anniversary of company founding.

• eCOM-10 completed; eCOM-8 unit 15 completed and registered.

Specialist manufacturer of low-speed electric community vehicles (green slow mobility) for tourist areas, municipalities, and short-distance transport.

• eCOM-8

  Low-speed electric bus with capacity for 10 passengers, eight-wheel drive with in-wheel motors, six-wheel steering, swappable battery, 100V charging, approx. 40 km range, max speed 19 km/h.

• eCOM-10

  Low-speed electric bus with capacity for 16 passengers, larger than eCOM-8, also used as base for autonomous driving development and custom vehicles like IKEBUS.

• eCOM-4

  Mini low-speed electric bus with capacity for 7 passengers, launched in April 2021.

• eCOM-82

  Improved version of eCOM-8 based on eCOM-10, completed in June 2018.

• eCOM-mini

  Two-seat low-speed EV intended for rental mobility, completed in January 2015.

• TT1

  Single-seat micro-EV completed in August 2010.

• μ-TT2

  Single-seat micro-EV completed in December 2010.

• NPRTT1

  Research vehicle of the same type as TT1, completed in November 2015 for Nippon Piston Ring.

• NPReCOM-mini

  Smaller version of NPRTT1, completed in May 2016.

1. 1株式会社 シンクトゥギャザー 公式サイトttcom.jp
2. 2製品 | 株式会社 シンクトゥギャザーttcom.jp
3. 3会社案内 | 株式会社 シンクトゥギャザーttcom.jp
4. 4会社概要・沿革 | 株式会社 シンクトゥギャザーttcom.jp
5. 5シンクトゥギャザー - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
6. 6Thinktogether - Wikidatawikidata.org