Smart Says Cobasys Hampering Work on ForTwo EV Fitted With Li-Ion Batteries

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The accuracy of this story is disputed by Cobasys. Please click here for further information posted on Oct. 17.
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In early June we reported that General Motors won't sell as many hybrid cars as it had hoped this year due to 9,000 defective batteries supplied by Cobasys.

Now the Michigan-based battery maker is being blamed for holding up the release of electric Smart ForTwos fitted with advanced lithium-ion battery packs.

Smart had hoped to bring to market ForTwos packing lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2009.

But Klaus Badenhausen, the automaker's chief engineer, told Edmunds.com's Inside Line today that problems it is having with Cobasys have stymied Smart's lithium-ion battery plans.

As we've reported, Cobasys' parent companies are in a dispute over who should assume costs incurred by their troublesome child.

Indeed, GM wasn't the only automaker to be burned by Cobasys. Early last month, Mercedes-Benz sued Cobasys and its parent companies, claiming the battery maker wasn't delivering the battery packs it agreed to build for Mercedes' ML450 Hybrid.

As a result the German automaker might have to delay the launch of its planned hybrid SUV.

Daimler president and CEO Dieter Zetsche told Inside Line, "The recent developments with our lithium-ion partners have Daimler looking actively into various Plan Bs." No specifics were given.

Need we remind him that Telsa Motors had been working with Smart on an electric ForTwo? Tesla -- maker of the only electric sedan currently sold in the U.S. -- uses lithium-ion batteries to power its Roadsters.

In case you were wondering, the plug-in Fortwos that have been pleasing lease customers around London on a limited test basis since late 2006 are equipped with sodium nickel-hydride battery packs.

A call placed by this writer to Cobasys seeking a response to the allegations made by Badenhausen, Smart's chief engineer, was not returned. 

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by

Scott Doggett September 4, 2008, 4:39 PM

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Batteries, Daimler, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Tesla

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