All-Electric Smart Fortwo with Tesla Li-ion Batteries to enter Production in November
The first examples of Smart's second-generation Fortwo Electric Drive will roll off the production line at the firm's Hambach plant in France in mid November, the company announced today. Initially, the all-electric Smart that is powered by a lithium-ion battery sourced from Tesla Motors (Daimler recently bought a 10 percent stake in the company) will be leased to customers in Berlin and other cities in Europe and the USA but from 2012 it will enter series production and be available through the Smart dealer network to anyone interested
The plug-in Smart gets a magneto-electric motor, which delivers 30kW or 41-horsepower and 120 Nm or 89 lb-ft of torque, and is installed at the rear of the vehicle. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 km/h (37 mph) in 6.5 seconds while its top speed is limited to 100 km/h or 62 mph.
Power is provided 14 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is housed in the underfloor between the axles where the tank is located in other smart models meaning that the interior space is not compromised. The battery can be charged at any fused 220 Volt socket with Smart claiming that a three-hour charge will get you about 30 to 40 km (25 miles) while an 'overnight' full charge is sufficient for up to 115 kilometers (72 miles) of driving.
Smart says that, based on German electricity prices, it costs about two euros (approx $2.8 at today's exchange rates) to drive the Fortwo Electric Drive for 100 kilometers or 62 miles, which is less than the price of two liters of petrol in Germany.
- Mercedes-benz Concept Bluezero E-cell Plus: Petrol-electric Hybrid Hints At Production Model
Mercedes-Benz will be presenting an updated version of its BlueZERO E-Cell concept car at this month's Frankfurt Motor Show. Originally presented in Detroit at the beginning of the year, BlueZERO E-Cell is propelled exclusively by a battery-powered...
- Mercedes-benz Parent Company To Announce New Electric Vehicle Partner - Could It Be Tesla?
In a few hours from now, Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler AG, will announce details on a new "strategic cooperation" for its electric car business. While the German firm did not disclose the name of its partner, rumor has it that it could be...
- Tesla Accepts More Than 700 Pre-orders For Model-s In Two Weeks
In spite of the fact that the first examples of the Model S won't roll off the company's production line in California before late 2011, Tesla Motors has received 711 orders for its all-electric sports sedan in the two weeks that followed the...
- First Fully Electric Smart Fortwo Delivered To The Uk
Coventry City Council took delivery of the first of 100 electric smart cars to be delivered as part of a UK-based market trial for the introduction of a fully electric version of the Smart Fortwo that will be dubbed “edâ€. Coventry City Council...
- Insane Fuel Economy - By Smart
Perhaps the timing is ripening for a GCBC Lowdown on the smart fortwo. Perhaps this post would be aptly named a rundown - a simple mathematical view of the new smart fortwo. Canada sees a somewhat different fortwo than that which is available to the...