"Cobasys Disputes Sept. 4 Reports on Smart Fortwo EV Delay " Green Car Advisor

Cobasys Disputes Sept. 4 Reports on Smart Fortwo EV Delay

Cobasys has disputed the accuracy of a Sept. 4 report, posted initially on our Inside Line news site and subsequently used as the basis for a Green Car Advisor article, that said problems at battery systems maker Cobasys LLC were delaying production of an electric version of the Smart Fortwo using lithium-ion batteries

Michigan-based Cobasys says that while it supplied nickel-metal hydride batteries for a previous-generation Smart EV project, it has no involvement in the upcoming lithium-ion battery project.

However, papers filed in a federal lawsuit brought earlier this year by Smart's sister company, Mercedes-Benz, alleging a failure by Cobasys to deliver batteries it had agreed to produce for a hybrid Mercedes-Benz SUV, show that the battery maker also has denied the existence of any agreement to produce batteries for Mercedes.

Inside Line's Sept. 4 report said that executives at Daimler AG, Smart's parent, blamed supplier problems for delaying the lithium-ion battery version of the car, and identified Cobasys as that supplier.

Contributor Matt Davis, who filed the now-disputed report, said that Daimler executives were specific in identifying Cobasys during a question-and answer session.

Daimler, however, now says that it does not discuss supplier relations and will neither confirm nor deny the statements attributed to its executives in the Sept. 4 report.