The Crayola colored Kandi COCO, an all electric, plug-in low speed vehicle that can be driven on streets with speed limits under 35 MPH, is receiving $4,435 in Federal tax credits, while the state of Oklahoma has kicked in an additional tax credit of 50% of the sales price, or $5,299. The Kandi COCO has a retail price of about $10,995, so if you buy one in Oklahoma before December 31, 2009, it can be yours for almost a steal – or about $865.00.

While you can’t drive it on the highway, and it doesn’t go over 45 miles per hour, it’s being compared to the smart fortwo in the states, which I find interesting since the only thing I can truly find comparable might be the size and the amount of time it takes to fully charge.  The COCO goes 40-60 miles on one charge and takes about 5-6 hours to fully charge using a 110 volt.   

There are some distinct advantageous though, as they’re no doubt great for people who own motor homes and want the flexibility of having a small car in tow. I think those who live in retirement communities might also find these little gems handy to scoot around in, too. They could probably be useful on college campuses, as well as film studios and practically anywhere transportation is needed in a smaller, less congested traffic area.

For less than the cost of a big screen TV, you can own a brand new set of wheels. Imagine a Kandi COCO under the Christmas tree this year – or not.

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Filed Under: Eco Friendly, General, LSV, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev, golf carts, smart, transportation

Cars.com has released its list of the ten worst cars of the 2000s as well as the ten most-improved vehicles of the decade. The super tiny smart fortwo tops the worst cars of the decade list.

“We don’t have a problem with small cars in general (we’re big fans of the Mini Cooper), just with ones that don’t deliver on the benefits of going small. The pint-sized ForTwo sacrifices a lot of passenger space for a relatively unimpressive 41 mpg on the highway, has an SUV-like propensity to roll over, and is equipped with an aggravating sequential manual transmission. Sure, the ForTwo looks cute, but after you drive it you won’t be smiling anymore.” Source: PR Newswire

Okay, I admit the car is cute. I’ve never ridden in it as I have claustrophobic tendencies and I live in an area with a high proportion of full-sized SUVs. I’d hate to encounter one of these SUVs in a collision and so I’ve never bothered to look twice at purchasing a fortwo.

According to the safercar.gov website, the 2010 Smart Fortwo 2-Dr w/SAB scored four stars in the frontal driver rating, three stars in the frontal passenger rating, and three stars in the rollover rating. The vehicle also scored five stars in the side driver rating section but a safety concern is noted.

On paper, the vehicle doesn’t look like it is the epitome of an unsafe vehicle but the rollover rating is a little low for a passenger vehicle. Perhaps a higher fuel efficiency rating would help the smart fortwo avoid this list as the next decade comes to an end.

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Filed Under: smart

Daimler has announced that it will expand its car2go program to Austin, Texas in the fall of 2009. This will be the first domestic location for the unique car rental program. The program’s initial launch was October 24, 2008 in Ulm, Germany. At the time of the launch, 50 smart fortwos were available.

Due to the success of the car2go program, the Ulm fleet will be expanded to 200 smart fortwo cdi vehicles available for short-term rentals around the clock. As with most innovating things I report about, this was initially limited to a non-US location. Thankfully, Daimler will be branching out and Austin, Texas is on the list.

“As in the first phase of the German pilot project, car2go will begin in Austin with a defined group of users, for example city employees. It is then planned to make car2go accessible to the public in Austin in a second step.

Other factors predestining Austin to be the first international car2go city are the city’s size and its up-to-date economic structure. Among other things it is the location of the fourth largest university in the USA. Beginning in autumn 2009 a fleet expected to number 200 smart fortwo mhd vehicles with automatic start/stop function will be put into operation there.” Source: Daimler

Let’s hope that the results are positive and we see more car2go cities on Daimler’s radar.

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Filed Under: smart

Smart is making waves at the 79th Annual Geneva International Motor Show. Details about the test markets Smart ED (electric drive) have been released and the company has announced a new limited edition model.

Smart ED Test Drives
Smart fortwo electric drives can be found on the streets of London, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Milan, Pisa and other cities across Europe. The original electric smart concept was debuted in 2006 and now the vehicles are running on second-generation lithium-ion batteries.

These vehicles are not being test driven by professionals, however. Everyday drivers are leasing these vehicles for a four-year period and Daimler is gathering the data to help hone the vehicle for a commercial launch.

While the smart ed tests are currently limited to several major European cities, a few U.S. locations are being considered for the next expansion of the test drive program.

Smart ForTwo Edition Limited Three
A new smart fortwo model was also unveiled at the Geneva show.

“The new special finish of the spring model injects a fresh shot of colour for the new season and harmonises extremely well with the tridion safety cell. The 15 inch alloy wheels in a sporty six-spoke design fitted with tyres measuring 175/55 R15 at the front and 195/50 R15 at the rear are a further eye-catching feature. The exterior look is rounded off by exclusive aluminium-effect “limited three” logos in the mirror triangle.” (Source: Daimler)

The new model comes in both coupe and cabriolet (convertible) models. Admittedly, the thought of staggered wheels on an itty-bitty smart fortwo made me chuckle. However, Daimler obviously understands that there is a market for a sportier look on this fuel-efficient two-seater.

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, smart

When I saw the headline in my email, Three New York City Area Parking Companies Offer Discounts to smart fortwo Owners, the first thing that came to my mind was “well of course, the smart is ½ the size of a typical car.” I decided to check and the smart fortwo is 61 inches wide and 106 inches long. The 2009 Toyota Camry is 71.7 inches wide and 189.2 inches long. So, the smart fortwo is not ½ the size of a typical car but smart fortwo owners can get parking for ½ the price at some NYC lots.

“Meyers Parking first offered half price parking to smart fortwo owners beginning last September, and the program was renewed for 2009. Meyers Parking is the official parking garage of Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers, New York Knicks and New York Liberty. Meyers also has the largest public garages in Times Square, on the Upper East Side and the Empire State Building area.” (Source: PR Newswire)

The other parking companies offering a discount are Icon Parking Systems and AviStar Airport Parking. There have been 26,000 smart fortwos sold in the U.S. in the last year and about 15% of those are in the metro New York area.

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Filed Under: smart

Okay, a Tesla Smart Car is wishful thinking but the luxury electric vehicle company will be providing batteries for Daimler’s Smart EV. This announcement was made last week at the North American International Auto Show. The agreement has Tesla providing Daimler with the battery pack and charger for 1,000 of the new Smart electric vehicles, which will be available in the United States in 2010.

Other Tesla news from Detroit:

Tesla founder Elon Musk “detailed the company’s ambitious plans to develop a range of EV models and build a factory in San Jose, California, capable of building 20,000 cars a year.

This would cost between $300-400 million, Musk said. It would involve production of a new pure EV model, the Tesla S, a sedan model, with a family of different body styles to follow including a crossover, wagon and minivan.

This is likely to cost around $50,000 – less than half the $109,000 roadster - and is said to offer a 225-mile range on a single charge of its Lithium Ion batteries.” (Source: Newspress)

Sign me up for the Tesla crossover!

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, electric vehicles, smart

As a car enthusiast, when I think of the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) show, I do not think of eco-friendly cars. What comes to mind are wildly tuned muscle cars, heavily modified imports and ultra high horsepower super cars. However, the smart fortwo has made an appearance at this year’s SEMA show and has even made it on to CarDomain’s SEMA Top Ten Trends List.

In addition to the tricked out smart, the 2008 SEMA show also features a 1968 Chevy Camaro with a NASCAR engine that runs on E98. E98 is an ethanol blend and thus this Camaro is considered an “alternative fuel vehicle.”

Although SEMA is known for grandiose after-market modifications and over the top prices on a wide variety of products, it is refreshing to see attention being paid to greening up the transportation options that we have.

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, smart

Consumers in Brazil will be able to purchase a smart fortwo beginning in April of 2009. The smart fortwo has recently been receiving a significant amount of media attention after making the EPA’s list of the top ten most fuel-efficient vehicles. Daimler, smart’s parent company, has announced plans to make the smart fortwo available in Brazil beginning in the spring of 2009.

The exciting news was delivered as the smart fortwo made its debut in Brazil at the Sao Paulo Auto Show.

“An average of six million vehicles are on the streets of São Paulo, a city of ten million inhabitants. Every day, around 1,000 new vehicles are registered in São Paulo. These are ideal conditions for an innovative, fuel-efficient and agile vehicle for urban lifestyles such as the smart fortwo.” (Source: Daimler Media Site)

The vehicle is ideal for cities like Sao Paulo as its physical and carbon footprints are relatively small when compared to other vehicles on the road. Pricing for the Brazilian smart fortwo was not released.

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Filed Under: smart