Smart Fortwo EV Test Coming to the U.S.
Smart is testing electric models in England and could start in U.S. next year.
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
We spied an electric Smart Fortwo prototype that we weren't supposed to see while on a visit recently to the Tesla Motors facility up in Northern California.
We don't know if this means that Tesla is angling for a contract to
convert gas Smarts to EVs for a local dealer who wants to get a jump on
the crowd, or was showing Smart engineers a prototype being
developed for the automaker itself.
But we do know now that Smart USA hopes to begin testing a small fleet of Smart EVs here sometime next year.
That's because Smart USA President David Schembri said so in a New York Auto Show interview with TheCarConnection.
Electric Future
Daimler, which owns Smart, began testing an electric version in London last year but has been vague, at best, about U.S. plans.
Schembri said in the interview that he believes a battery-electric Smart, using advanced lithium-ion batteries, makes more sense than trying to squeeze a gas-electric hybrid package into the tiny car. He also said he believes EVs are starting to look like the wave of the future.
Not coincidentally, Daimler recently announced it has developed a new lithium-ion technology that it intends to launch in a hybrid model of its Mercedes-Benz S-Class next year.
Schembri reportedly hinted that the Smarts (hmm, would the proper plural be Smart Fortwos, or Smarts Fortwo?) would use a version of that battery.
Back at Tesla
The EV prototype we saw was parked out in the Tesla R&D shop next to one of the company's high-voltage chargers.
A thick power cord snaked across the floor from the charger to the Smart, but wasn't plugged in.
It was after regular hours, almost 6 p.m., but a group of engineer-types clustered around the charger, peering inside and muttering to one another, some with what sounded like German accents.
Our Tesla host tried to pretend it wasn't there, and failing that, to suggest it was one of the regular gasoline-powered Smarts now on sale in the U.S.
But we opened the fueling door on the side of the car and there, in place of a gas cap, was an EV charging port that looked just like the ones installed on every Tesla roadster.
- Posted by
- John O'Dell March 20, 2008, 11:03 AM
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- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Batteries, Daimler, Plug-ins and Electric
The Smart Car EV could be the best near-term choice for a small commuter electric vehicle that can be charged by the grid or a residential photovoltaic system. The Aptera looks cool and promises excellent performance but its outrigger three-wheel configuration may make it hard to park, garage, and service. Most EV enthusiasts would love a Tesla Roadster but few of us have $100k laying around while the Chevy Volt is still a ... well ... Chevy. Another option, EV conversions, have a poor cost to performance ratio and service is pretty much "do it yourself." With the support and reputation of Daimler behind it, the Smart EV might just be the safest bet for all of us "tree huggers." If Smart USA is looking to sell test leases of the EV in California, I'm ready!