Electric Smart Fortwo Being Road Tested in the UK
The Smart Fortwo, a product of Daimler, is already a green motoring option providing drivers an average 41mpg on the highway and 33 in the city for under $15k. An electric version of the Smart Fortwo is now being road tested in the United Kingdom.
Electric Smart Fortwo Basics
The test models can experience a driving range of up to 72 miles on a full charge; a full charge takes approximately eight hours. The electric version of the Smart Fortwo retains the safety features of its non-electric counterpart and has a top speed of 60 mph and a 0-30 mph time of 6.5 seconds. While not the same zippiness that its non-electric counterpart has, it is still impressive.
Electrical Infrastructure
Part of the problem that electric vehicles (not hybrid electrics) face is dealing with the infrastructure. The cars need to be recharged and owners will take comfort in knowing that in the London area, there are several recharging stations available for those in the test vehicles; these recharging stations are available at no additional cost. In addition to the free electricity benefit, drivers of the test cars are also eligible for free or discounted parking in some areas.
Access to Testing
According to the official Daimler press release on the topic, “With that in mind, we’re running a market trial with selected blue chip companies who are happy to meet our requirements to power the cars using only renewable energy sources. When we say zero emissions, we really mean it! Among the partners already enrolled in the trial are Urban Splash, Islington and Coventry Councils, Foster & Partners, CarbonNeutral Company, EDF Energy and Amey.”
Public Availability
Even though these plug-in Smart Fortwos are on the streets of England, Daimler has no concrete dates set for a public launch. My guess is that the electric Smart Fortwo will be available for purchase somewhere between late 2009 and mid-2010.
It is exciting to see that more electric vehicles are being tested on the roads of the world. As the concept becomes more common, the public is more accepting of the technology. Of course, one look at the Tesla Roadster is enough to convince me that an all-electric vehicle can do it all.
More pictures from Daimler.
|
Filed Under: electric vehicles |
|
If you enjoyed reading this article... Subscribe to Our Feed |
Loading ...
Loved your article
To get action from the companies in power (oil, car), why don’t we just mount a buying strike on newly factory produced fossil fuelled motor cars?
Surely, the car companies would then have to get moving to produce something we actually want and which will save the planet?
Thanks Rob - a buying strike would definitely serve as motivation, wouldn’t it?
[...] the lucky Brits are the recipients of another plug-in trial. Last week, I posted the Electric Smart Fortwo Being Road Tested in the UK and today I’m adding a plug-in Toyota Prius trial that has recently launched. Toyota has [...]