Leave it to a Skyliner to be a trendsetter and own one of the first all-electric cars in Chicago: the Think Car.

“I’m like my grandfather,” said the sharp new black auto’s proud owner, Old Town resident Steve Weiss. “If there’s something new and different, I gotta have it.”

As someone who strives to recycle and reuse whenever possible, I was excited to hear about Think, because it’s very cool to me that the car’s environmental impact is almost zero. So says its seller, Doug Snower, founder of WindFree Renewable Energy Co., 1440 N. Ashland Ave.

“Every component is recycled on the car. None of that car is going to the landfill when the time comes,” explained Snower, whose company will also be participating in the 2011 Illinois Solar Tour on Oct. 1. (Check it out at illinoissolartour.org).

The Think is the only all-electric car available at this time in Chicago, except for the Tesla, a high-performance, Ferrari-like car, Weiss said. Snower said others are coming, but most need to be ordered and there’s a long waiting list.

“Mine is available and affordable,” said Snower, who has “wanted to save the planet” since he was a kid.

There’s no sticker shock here, because after rebate and Illinois incentives, Think runs for about $22,000 after a $7,500 tax rebate from the government and a $4,000 cash rebate from the state.

Weiss said he travels 160 miles for the cost of a gallon of gas, about $3.90 worth of electricity. On one charge, Weiss said he can go 100 miles. Every charged 100 miles averages about $2.50 a night.

“I plug it in my yard,” said Weiss. “I plug in at night, and it’s 100 percent charged in the morning.

“If the car is fully empty, maybe I’ll spend 30 to 40 cents a day to drive that car,” he boasted.

The cars plug into standard home outlets, and can reach speeds of about 70 to 75 miles per hour.

“It’s pretty zippy,” said Weiss, who also owns a Smart Car. “It really has a nice drive. It’s a regular car.”

And it can, “easily fit four bags of golf clubs” or four or five suitcases in it, the men told me.

“It has all the creature comforts,” Weiss said.

It was also pointed out to me that, “for the ladies,” the Mag Mile “Bloomie’s” has three free charging stations in front parking spots. And currently, there are more than 200 charging stations throughout Chicago, Snower said.

He also said he has teamed-up with the Lincoln Park Whole Foods Market’s new Wellness Club, which is now open at 1550 N. Kingsbury St., and the club will offer electric car rentals for members and a food delivery fleet.

It’s projected that in the next five years, 50,000 electric cars will be in the U.S. market, Snower said. He wants to sell 10 a month here.

He’ll hopefully do so as owner of Green Wheels, 1540 N. Western Ave., an environmentally-friendly car dealership that he opened about three weeks ago. Snower, whose family has a long history in the auto biz, took an old Western Avenue gas station and gave it a “green facelift.”

He said within the next six months, more electric cars will hit the city’s streets. But for now, Think is the only one available to the public.

So come drive one of Snower’s Think cars at Green Wheels’ Grand Opening this weekend. There’ll be wine, cheese and a DJ, all day Saturday.

“It’s fun,” Weiss said of Think.

“It’s a feel-good car,” said Snower.

All I know is, Think sounds like a real gas to me.