The Smart Electric Drive is a 100% electric version of the Smart ForTwo city car.
First Generation Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
First tested in 2007 with 100 vehicles in London,the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive was only available for lease to corporate clients at a rate of £375 per month. The battery pack had a capacity of 12 kWh and the vehicle had a range of 68 miles.
Second Generation Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
In 2009, the second generation was available for purchase in 18 markets around the world. Production began in November 2009 in Hambach, France, and a total of 2000 units were built. The Smart EDs had a lithium-ion battery pack had a capacity of 14kWhs and were provided by Tesla Motors that could be charged with a 110v outlet or a 220 volt outlet. With a range of 84 miles, it was a vast performance improvement over the first pilot Smart Electric Drive vehicles.
Third Generation Smart Electric Drive
The current third generation of the Smart Electric Drive was unveiled at the September 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This version includes a more powerful electric motor, a new lithium-ion battery pack that increased range to 87 miles and updated styling with wider door sills, LED lights and fully automatic air conditioning.
Rated by the EPA as having a 122 MPGe rating in the city, the Smart Electric Drive is the most efficient of any US compact car and is only 4 short of the Mitsubishi i-Miev’s 126 MPGe EPA rating. Overall EPA rating is 107 MPGe combined.
The Smart Electric Drive has a top speed ot 75 mph and a 0 to 60 mph time of less than 13 seconds. The battery pack capacity is 17.6 kWh and the electric motor has a peak output of 74 hp.
With the on-board 3.3kW charger, the Smart Electric drive can handle a level 2 charge that takes the battery from 20 percent to 80 percent in 3.5 hours. A full charge takes around 8 hours.
Smart has dropped the ‘ForTwo’ designation for the Smart Electric Drive vehicle.
