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The French Get Smart – Electric Smart

October 13, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, emissions, small cars by kristen | No comments

Daimler says that the electric Smart Fortwo will go into large-scale production at a plant in Hambach, France, as early as next month.

The first run of 1000 electric Smarts will be built in November 2009 and delivered to customers by the end of the year (Merry Christmas!). The car will be at full production and in Smart car dealerships by 2012, said Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche.

Specs for the new electric Smart Fortwo:

  • Lithium-ion battery housed between the axles
  • 30 kW motor in the rear
  • 88 lb-ft of torque from the get-go
  • 80-mile range
  • 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds
  • Max speed limited to 100 km/h (62 mph)

Germany to Set Up Hydrogen Fuel Stations

September 15, 2009 in Biz News, Future Cars, Hydrogen, emissions by kristen | 2 comments

Mercedes-Benz reported last week that several companies have partnered with the German government to set up a hydrogen infrastructure for electric cars with on-board fuel cells. The H2 Mobility initiative, as it’s called, will have a hydrogen fueling station network in place by 2011, they say.

Infrastructure has been a stumbling block for the clean-emissions hydrogen fuel vehicles. No one wants to buy a hydrogen-powered electric car if there’s no place to refuel it, but no one wants to install hydrogen fueling stations if there aren’t any cars to fill up. Germany has decided to end the stalemate by partnering with businesses like Daimler (Mercedes’ parent company) and Shell, plus the National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology to expand the hydrogen fueling network by 2011, with further expansion and the introduction of consumer-ready hydrogen-powered EVs in Germany by 2015.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche with the Mercedes-Benz B-Klasse F-CELL – image courtesy of Daimler.

Smart Cars, Electrified and Classy

August 26, 2009 in Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, small cars by kristen | No comments

Smart has a couple bits of news this week. First, as of November 2009, the electric Smart Fortwo will have a lithium-ion battery pack from Tesla Motors on board. It’ll sit between the axles, so as not to compromise the already precious space inside the Fortwo, with the motor in the back, where it’s always been. The new battery gives it a range of about 70 miles, and will fully charge at a 220-volt socket overnight.

The electric Fortwo is currently being leased to “select markets,” as they say, in Europe and the U.S. for real-world testing. It’ll go on sale to anyone who wants one in 2012.

If you want 41 mpg in a gasoline car, plus a dash of je ne sais quoi, check out the new Smart Fortwo Highstyle, in chocolate brown with 12-spoke alloy wheels. The interior gets an upgrade to leather and fabric, and the car is available with start-stop technology to increase the gas mileage even more around town.

Daimler Takes a Stake in Tesla

May 28, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, Future Cars, small cars by kristen | 1 comment

Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler has acquired a 10% stake in California EV upstart Tesla Motors. The two companies have been working together to develop a battery pack for Daimler’s future electrified Smart car, as Tesla chair Elon Musk announced in Detroit earlier this year.

While Daimler is learning from Tesla’s lithium-ion know-how, including the development of battery packs and recharging systems, Tesla is taking advantage of the bigger, older company’s experience and supply chain to develop its own, supposedly less expensive Tesla Model S electric vehicle.

There are already 100 electric Smart cars testing in London. The results of this partnership with Tesla will produce 1,000 second-generation Smart EVs, which will be built at Smart HQ in France and used in pilot European programs.

And Mercedes fans, start saving up now. The company promises to introduce an electric M-B in 2010.

Image courtesy of Daimler AG.

Daimler Brings Smart Car Sharing to Austin

April 10, 2009 in Consumer News, MPG, small cars by kristen | No comments

Daimler’s Car2Go program, which it launched in Germany last week, may come stateside — to Austin, Texas, no less, where they like to keep it weird. The company plans on bringing 200 Smart ForTwos to the Texas town and making them available to subscribers 24-7.

Cars can be prebooked or used on-the-spot, if it’s not already spoken for. Car2Go members use a smart card and PIN to access the cars, then pay about 25 cents a minute to tool about town, which includes gas. Hourly and day rates are available too, according to a post in the New York Times’ Wheels blog.

Austin city employees will get first crack at the system this fall.

Image of the Smart ForTwo at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Tesla to Supply Batteries for Smart EV

January 13, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, Future Cars, small cars by kristen | 1 comment

Tesla RoadsterSmart EV

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced today at the 2009 Detroit auto show that the company will supply the batteries for the forthcoming Smart electric vehicle. Musk had just gotten the go-ahead from Smart parent company and Tesla partner Daimler this morning to make the announcement at the press conference this afternoon — the last auto manufacturer’s press conference of the show.

Musk said Daimler felt Tesla had the best engineering and technology, and so chose the small Silicon Valley electric car maker to supply the batteries for its Smart microcar. The Smart EV will use the same batteries as the Tesla Roadster, but in a smaller pack.

Musk also mentioned that his goal is to bring EVs to the masses, something that could be done through this partnership with Daimler. While the technology is expensive, it goes into expensive cars like the Tesla Roadster (which sells for upwards of $100k and is sold out through November 2009). By working with a large car maker to build EVs in volume, Musk hopes to lower the costs and partner with Daimler to build tens of thousands of cars, instead of the 1500 Roadsters Tesla hopes to build this year.

Tesla likes this partnership model so much that Musk says it’s looking for more deals of the same kind. “The notion of Silicon Valley versus Detroit is completely untrue,” he said.

Electric Smart Car in 2010

October 13, 2008 in Biz News, EVs, Future Cars, small cars by kristen | No comments

Smart ED at the 2008 Paris Auto Show

One of the most talked-about unveilings at the Paris auto show this month was the all-electric version of the Smart car, called the Smart ED. (That stands for Electric Drive, not the subject of those old Bob Dole commercials.) Parent company Daimler says the cars will go into production in late 2009 for delivery to “selected customers.”

Daimler leased 100 early versions of an electric Smart to Londoners earlier this year to get real-world experience with plug-in vehicles. The second phase of testing, announced last month, will take place in Berlin with another 100 cars.

The updated version seen in Paris at the auto show will have a 90-mile range, which is twice as far as the current crop of neighborhood electric vehicles will go on one charge. No word on if or when the Smart ED will show up at U.S. dealerships.