The Smart Fortwo electric drive (or smart ed) is a battery electric vehicle version of the Smart Fortwo micro car. This electric car was formerly known as Smart Fortwo EV. Field testing began in London with 100 units in 2007, followed by Berlin in late 2009, and then the United States in January 2011 with 250 units, which are part of 1,500 cars that will be tested in several European cities, Canada and selected markets in Asia.[1][2][3][4]
The third-generation Smart electric drive is scheduled to be launched by the second quarter of 2012 and Smart plans to mass produced the electric car with availability in 30 markets worldwide. A near production version will be unveiled at the September 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.[5]
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The first Smart electric drive vehicles were modified by Zytek Electric Vehicles. It is powered by a rear-mounted motor driving the rear wheels. It runs on 13.2 kilowatt-hours of sodium-nickel chloride Zebra batteries.
Field testing began in London with 100 vehicles in 2007[1] and was available only for lease to corporate clients for £375 per month.[6]
Production of the second-generation Smart fortwo electric drive began in November 2009 in Hambach, France. These use a lithium-ion battery from Tesla Motors with capacity of 14 kilowatt-hours (50 MJ). The range of a fully charged battery is up to 135 kilometres (84 miles) (New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) cycle).[3][7]
As part of a three-phase roll-out program, phase two began with field testing in Berlin in December 2009 with 100 units out of 300 that will be deploy in Germany.[8][9] For phase two 1,500 cars will be produced, and field testing is scheduled to be conducted in Hamburg, Paris, Rome, Milan, Pisa, London, the English Midlands, Madrid, Zurich, Portugal, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands during the first half of 2010.[3] In October 2010, 250 units will be available for field testing in several cities in the United States; testing will also be conducted in Canada; and in 2011 in selected markets in Asia.[1][3]
Phase three will be mass production, which is scheduled to begin with the 2012 model year. In the United States sales will begin in 2012 with the 2013 model year.[1][2] On July 2011 an agreement was reached between Daimler AG and Robert Bosch GmbH to develop and produce innovative traction motors for electric vehicles. Based on this joint venture, Daimler expects to use the improved traction motors with the new generation of Smart electric drive cars which are scheduled to go on sale in early 2012.[10]
The lithium-ion battery pack takes three hours to charge from 20 to 80 percent of its capacity with a standard 220 V outlet. It can also can be charged using a common household 110 V outlet.[1] The car has a 3.3 kW on-board charger for this "level 1 and 2" charging.[3] Smart claims a 0-to-60 kilometres per hour (37 mph) time of 6.5 seconds, the same as for the gasoline version.[2] It has a single fixed-gear ratio transmission and is about 308 lb (140 kg) heavier than a gasoline-powered Fortwo.[3]
The trial program in the U.S. began in January 2011 with the first customer delivery in Washington, D.C.[4] A total of 250 units are available for leasing at a price of US$599 per month for a period of 48 months and 60,000 kilometres (37,282 mi), plus US$2,500 due at signing. This pricing is before taxes or any government tax credits or rebates available.[3] Daimler announced that United States sales are scheduled for January 2012.[3][9]
The limited fleet of second-generation Smart fortwo electric drive cars will be introduced first in Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, San Jose, California, Orlando, Florida, Austin, Detroit, Indianapolis and the Interstate 95 corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston, including New Jersey and New York.[3][9] A total of 206 Smart EDs have been leased through November 2011.[11]
Considering an energy consumption of 39 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles (878 kJ/km) and a conversion factor of 33.7 kW·h of electricity being the energy equivalent of a US gallon of gasoline (32 kiljoules to the litre), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially rated the Smart ED combined fuel economy at 87 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (mpg-e) (2.7 L gasoline equivalent/100 km; 104 mpg-imp gasoline equivalent), 94 mpg-US (2.5 L/100 km; 113 mpg-imp) city and 79 mpg-US (3.0 L/100 km; 95 mpg-imp) highway.[12] EPA's official all-electric range is 63 miles (101 km),[12] but in favorable conditions in an urban environment at warm temperatures the carmaker claims the Smart fortwo ED can reach up to 98 miles (158 km).[13]
In July 2011, Car2Go announced that a fleet of Smart EDs will be deployed into carsharing service in San Diego before the end of 2011. The company stated that the carsharing electric cars will have a range of 84 miles (135 km), and, based on their experience with usage in other cities, they will most likely need to be recharged every two or three days. When reserving the electric car online, San Diego Car2Go members will be able to see the battery's state of charge, so if the customer wants to go for an extended drive, the option is available to find the right car for that trip.[14] In November 2011 fleets of 300 Smart EDs each were deployed in San Diego and Amsterdam as part of the Car2Go service.[15][16]
The third-generation Smart ED is scheduled to be launched by September of 2012 and is planned to be available in 30 markets worldwide.[17] A near production version was unveiled at the September 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.[5] Key differences with the second-generation model include a more powerful electric motor, which improves acceleration and top speed; a new lithium-ion battery pack that will allow to increase the range to 140 kilometres (87 mi) and an option for quick-charge will be available; and other features include an enlarged grille opening, stylish LED daytime running lights, wider door sills, some minor modifications to the rear, fully automatic air conditioning with pollen filter and pre-air conditioning. Several features will be controlled remotely through a smart drive application for the iPhone.[5][18]
In Germany the Smart ED will be available for €16,000 (around US$22,400) plus a monthly fee of €60 (US$84) for the battery rental. Online reservations are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter 2011.[19]
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