Smart ForTwo Electric Drive

Smart ForTwo Electric Drive cars will be scooting around the streets of a few select United States cities by October of this year. If this sounds like a band wagon you would like to jump on, don't get your hopes up. Only 250 of the 1,500 Smart EDs that Daimler AG put into production in November of last year will find their way to the U.S. market. And those will be sold exclusively in a handful of cities such as Portland, Ore., Orlando and Washington, D.C. This initial launch will be followed by a much broader roll out in 2012.

From first blush, the Smart ForTwo would seem the ideal platform for pure electric propulsion. Measuring about three feet shorter than a Mini Cooper, it is small and light. Even with the Tesla Motors-supplied lithium-ion battery pack on board, the electric version only adds about 300 pounds to the gasoline-powered car's base 1,800 pounds. Moreover the battery array doesn't rob any interior room because the transformation to electric was anticipated during the Smart ForTwo's design phase. Designers included space for the batteries under the floor of the original car.

Range and recharging remain the boogie men of electric transportation. Although Smart hasn't made giant leaps in either of these areas, at least in terms of range, its electric car appears capable of fulfilling the demands of most city commuters. Because a number of factors influence power use, such as temperature, topography, driving habits, accessory use, and so forth, a manufacturer can't accurately predict an electric vehicle's range; however, Derek Kaufman, the vice president of Smart USA, explained that owners should see an average range of 83 miles from a fully charged battery pack.

Recharging can be accomplished using a 220V source, like a clothes dryer uses, or a standard 110V source like typical outlets in your home. Using a 220V connection, a complete charge (0-100 percent) requires less than eight hours; while charging from 20 to 80 percent capacity takes roughly 3.5 hours. Using a 110V source will take substantially longer.

Despite the fact that common sources can be used to charge the batteries, it may not be as easy as it sounds for everyone. Residents of apartment complexes, highrises and condos may find charging at home a challenge. Likewise most businesses probably won't be prepared initially to provide charging stations for employees. Eventually many communities will provide pay-to-charge stations (something akin to parking meters) in public-parking venues.

Smart USA recently provided journalists with the opportunity to hustle the Smart ED around the streets of Brooklyn. Exactly the type of congested urban situation electric vehicles are to conquer, it was the ideal venue for getting a real feel for EV driving.

Other than special "electric drive" graphics, a few green-colored panels and green wheels, the Smart ED looks pretty much like the gasoline-powered version from the sidewalk. This holds true inside the car as well. On closer inspection you will realize that the two upright pods in the center of the dashboard are no longer a clock and tachometer, as in the regular Smart, but a battery meter and ammeter. Every other aspect is about the same.

Anyone who has driven an electric golf cart already has a sense of what it is like to power the electric Smart around city streets. Other than a low-volume, high-pitched whine, the electric motor operates in anonymity. It usually produces about 27 horsepower when cruising, but can punch out up to 40 horsepower in short bursts. Running the speedometer up to 37 miles per hour from a standstill requires 6.5 seconds, according to Smart's stopwatch. Because this is a city car, the top speed is electronically limited to 62 miles per hour.

The transmission has but one gear. Shifting it into reverse simply reverses the rotation of the electric motor.

In short, the Smart ED does exactly what it is engineered to do. It breezes along city streets effortlessly and unobtrusively. It has no problem keeping up with traffic, and is even fun to drive. Its diminutive size makes parking a snap. It won't leave enthusiasts breathless, but the commuters it targets should not only be satisfied, but elated.

Smart USA hasn't announced a suggested retail price as yet. A 48-month lease will be the only way to acquire one of the first 250 units. Whether you choose the coupe or cabriolet, the monthly payment will be $599 and the warranty will cover the entire 48 months. This works out to a total cost of $28,752 and you must turn the car in at the end of the lease.

When pressed about the MSRP, Kaufman said you had to arrive at it by working backward from the monthly lease payment. He suggested that would make it about $43,000. Even when figuring in the federal government's $7,500 EV tax subsidy, that's a hefty $35,500.

As with the entire electric-car movement, you have to be very committed to "greening" the environment to justify the upfront expense required to minimize or eliminate gasoline purchases. If you are so committed, however, the Smart ED will not only make you feel good about yourself, but will provide a bit of fun in the process.