2010 'electric' smart fortwo car

Updated: July 20, 2008

Daimler AG, the parent company of smart cars, recently announced that they expect to have a smart fortwo Electric model available in 2010. A prototype of this smart fortwo Electric car was on display at the EVS 23 Motor Show in Anaheim, California last December 2007 (see photo)

The smart fortwo Electric has a rear-mounted 30 kW or 41 bhp electric motor, mounted in the same location as the gasoline powered version of the car. The batteries are sodium/nickel chloride type and these are placed under the body of the car, so as to keep the original occupant space the same as in the petrol (gasoline) version. Whether smart cars opts for lithium ion type batteries for the 2010 smart fortwo Electric is still to be determined.

In London in the United Kingdom, a trial of 100 of the new smart fortwo electric cars has been ongoing in the city. Because the new smarts are 100% electric, drivers in the trial have been exempt from paying London's City Congestion Charge, as electric vehicles are not required to pay this charge.

The performance specifications of the smart fortwo Electric Car are a top speed of 112 km/h (70mph), a range of 115km (72 miles) and a 0 to 60 km/h (38 mph) acceleration time of 5.7 seconds