London's Met Police test all-electric smart ed
The Metropolitan Police Service in London (the Met) is testing a smart ed (electric drive), for routine police operations. Two of these zero-emission units will be deployed, one in Central London and the other at Heathrow Airport. The Met test belongs to a 100-vehicle smart ed test which is being conducted around Great Britain and some of the other sites have even made it to TV. The Met smart ed allows the Police to have police presence in very congested areas, thanks to its size. The smart ed has a top speed of 60 mph and has a range of up to 70 miles in between charges. It's estimated that the car achieves the equivalent of 300 mpg.
[Source: Smart UK]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MIKE 10:36AM (6/26/2008)
Can someone explain to me, how do you get a fully electric car to convert to 300 mpg? Are these numbers just marketing lingo to impress us for sales?
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Rick 1:38PM (6/26/2008)
Does this then mean the police were out smart ed?
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Serge 11:48AM (6/26/2008)
Mike, there is one common metric that can be used to [fairly accurately] compare "fuel" efficiency of EVs and ICEVs: unit of monetary measure per unit of distance. You have a cost of electricity (Ce) that will allow an EV to travel a certain distance (De). Divide Ce by price of a unit of liquid fuel and you have an equivalent of amount of liquid fuel (ALF) that you've "used" to travel a distance of De. Divide De by ALF and you have an equivalent of your distance-per-amount-of-liquid- fuel metric (in units of your choosing).
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JustZisGuy 11:50AM (6/26/2008)
In answer to #1: (Statute) Miles per (U.S.) gallon, gasoline implied, is a measure of energy consumption. The energy density of gasoline is about 32 MJ/L. The rest is left as an exercise for the student. :-)
It would be much more convenient if everyone started using MJ/km or kWh/km or, if you insist, per mile, but as everyone in the United States is accustomed to thinking in terms of gasoline and in terms of the inverse (distance per unit energy), it makes sense to convert for comparison.
Example set of figures: New Flyer Low Floor trolley bus in use in Vancouver, B.C., Canada: 7.70 MJ/km electricity. Gasoline equivalent energy usage is 24 L/100 km, or 9.8 (statute) miles per (U.S.) gallon. That's for a vehicle in stop-start service, capable of carrying dozens of people. Electric is a whole lot more efficient. (And, in B.C., it's almost entirely hydroelectric power.)
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ECD4ME 12:10PM (6/26/2008)
a better question would be (IMO)_ how much do these cost and where or when can I get one. Lithium batteries or Nimh? 70 miles would be adequate range for commuting
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tchamp 12:26PM (6/26/2008)
Hear Hear! Where are the Electric Smarts in the US? When are car manufacturers going to get it that we want EVs in the US! Yesterday!
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hodad66 1:08PM (6/26/2008)
Yesterday is too long!!!
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John 3:15PM (6/26/2008)
Serge, Do the number add up to 300 mpg?
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Serge 5:25PM (6/26/2008)
John: I don't have access to Smart EV specs, so the answer is: "I don't know."
However, Tesla Roadster's efficiency is listed at 256 mpg (that's a US gallon), so I wouldn't be surprised if Smart EV, being a smaller vehicle, arrived at a 300 mpg figure (which I assume is per imperial [larger] gallon). These numbers are also supported by the fact that an elecric motor is 3-4 times more efficient than an ICE.
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andrichrose 5:35PM (6/26/2008)
the smart "ED" has now been around for a long time and I am beginning to
wonder if MB will ever decide to sell it , however there is a Smart EV being manufactured in switzerland by MES DEA for those of you that cannot wait
for MB to get their rear end into gear !
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Castillonis 6:17PM (9/06/2008)
I don't think that we will see it in the US soon. It is such a disruptive technology to stakeholders in auto parts and petroleum. Zap was sued for trying to import the gasoline model which doesn't get that good of gas mileage after the changes they made. That is why they tout the hydrogen car (electric motor) is to placate and delay.
The smart car is probably a much better vehicle with the electric motor. I salivated over the ICE models, but I was disapointed with the resulting mpg and jerky transmission. Our hope is in what Germany is doing now. They are leading the way :)
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