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)

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.

Smart announced today that it will debut the Smart ForTwo edition limited three car with standard micro hybrid drive for spring at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in early March. MHD is basically start/stop technology, where the engine shuts off when the brake is applied and the car slows to under 8 km/h (5 mph) and restarts as soon as the brake pedal is released. Parent company Daimler says mhd can improve fuel economy by up to 20% in around-town driving.

But the special-edition Smart isn’t just green on the inside. The exterior is covered in metallic melon green paint with a silvery sweep behind the doors. It has limited three logos on the mirrors and alloy wheels, and an exclusive brown interior with more silvery trim.

No word on how limited this limited three edition is, or if any of the examples will roll off the line and across the Atlantic to U.S. dealerships. We do know the coupe price will be just under $20,000 and the cabriolet will go for about $23,500.

Image courtesy of Daimler.

The electric Smart ForTwo, known as the Smart ed, has a 41-hp electric motor and sodium-nickel-chloride batteries. It gets about 70 miles per charge, and has a maximum speed of 70 mph, which makes it a reasonable commuter EV, even if your commute involves highways. Price and market haven’t been announced, but they do expect it to go on sale in 2010. Cross your fingers that it comes your way — and you can afford it.

While we may have to wait a while for the EV version of the Tata Nano, the diesel version will hit the Indian market in October. The hatchback will go a rocking 50 mph from its little 33-hp, 2-cylinder diesel engine, but it gets 52 mpg city, 61 highway. The added efficiency will drive up the regular Nano’s price of $2,500 to about $4,200.