Electric smart on its way for 2010
Smart currently has an electric version of its little ForTwo runabout... um, running about in Europe known as the Smart ed. Using a a sodium-nickel-chloride (commonly called a Zebra) battery, the 41 horse electric motor has plenty of power to move the vehicle around, and urban performance is actually said to be improved over the standard model. So far, the electric smart has only been for testing, but that looks to be changing rather soon. According to Dieter Zetsche, a fully electric ForTwo will be on sale to the public beginning in 2010.
We would expect the production model to be equipped with lithium batteries and have better range than the Zebra-equipped models currently on the roads. So far, no firm pricing information has been provided, though Dr. Z says he doesn't believe consumers would be willing to pay a large surcharge. The total cost of the smart ev would also depend on whether the automaker chooses to sell the batteries with the car or lease them seperately -- both options are currently on the table. We look forward to hearing more about the new model in the coming months, especially to find out what markets will be blessed with its presence. Stay tuned. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
[Source: Sustainable Business]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dave B 12:18PM (7/26/2008)
Terrific! Glad to see Smart wised up. I may consider this as an EV option. And frankly, $25-30 doesn't hit me as totally unreasonable as long as it's 100-plus range and can hit 85 mph.
Reply
tankd0g 9:58PM (7/26/2008)
Hah, yes it's going to use captured alien technology.
Mike!!ekiM 12:43PM (7/26/2008)
- I'll start saving, but, please try to keep it price competitive with the Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid...
Reply
Mike 8:08AM (7/27/2008)
Even the Smart MHD 'Mild Hybrid' is cleaner than the Prius with CO2 emissions of 103g/km according to autoexpress.co.uk
No need to wait for the Electric Smart...
hodad66 1:10PM (7/26/2008)
That's what I'm waiting for!! I was on the list for the current Smart but the MPG's simply were not that impressive. Now an electric Smart would fit the bill nicely.
Reply
S.M. Mehdi Hassan 2:58PM (7/26/2008)
Smart for two is a great city car. I wish I had one. It is small compact and ideal for the city where I live. So much crowd and small roads. This is what I would want to have.
Reply
Brent 4:35PM (7/26/2008)
How about a scooter instead?
Sam Watson 4:03PM (7/26/2008)
Anyone know what the range is of the zebra battery models currently undergoing testing?
The Smarts are fully cool. (Although they drink premium. The Prius still comes out on top for mileage per dollar spent in studies I've read.) The EV option will put them over the top. Because then you are that much closer to a clean vehicle. (Must consider the source of electricity...)
Also hoping for something that is 75 - 100 mi range. In American cities & surburbia 40-50 mi can be cutting it close for a round trip frankly.
Reply
Dave 4:42PM (7/26/2008)
Keep those EV's coming. The more the merryer and will force the other majors to get off their lazy butts and produce viable products that the public is clamouring for.
Reply
EV-1 7:56PM (7/26/2008)
The option of selling the car with separate lease batteries is
SPOT ON !
That would be the definite breakthrough !
+ Initial cost would drop Significantly - now the
little man can become involved
+ No worries about battery lifespan
+ No worries about evolvement leaps making my expensive BattPack
obsolete
+ Easy to reconfigure for higher or lower capacity, according to
current ( sorry... ) need
+ + And the OBVIOUS advantage will be the possibility to build an
infrastructure of exchange stations ( as discussed earlier ).
BATTERY EXCHANGE STATIONS would be
the SMART SOLUTION to
driving range,
charging time,
charging places,
evening grid load,
ensuring the power source is a sustainable one, et.c. et.c.
- Since switching BattPack would be so QUICK (less than a minute) you could opt for a smaller Pack, which would reduce weight and increase performance.
And at the same time should be less expensive to lease.
Now if there also could be a standard of fitting and connector , that
would open tremendous possibilities of a flexible zero emission ev
traffic.
Come on politicians !
Reply
a.brien 9:11PM (7/26/2008)
I will never buy a battery car if there is no gasoline or diesel or ethanol or hydrogen inboard battery re-charger. I go on vacation from time to time, vacations and weekends.
Reply
Sam Watson 10:41PM (7/26/2008)
As an owner of a midsized truck for work I like the idea of the Smart for an off-hours around town vehicle. However, for a one-vehicle only setup the range extender (ala the Volt) is an excellent idea.
Or please give us hydrogen. There is a great book called The Hydrogen Economy that lays out the smart path for developing the hydrogen infrastructure. The important concept in the book is the *decentralized* apporach to hydrogen production. Hence removing "big oi" and the "big military-industrial complex" from the energy equation. We could have already done it for the price tag of Iraq.
Chris M 2:48AM (7/27/2008)
a.brien: If you want just one car and occasionally take long trips and don't want to rent, then a plug-in hybrid with a good range extender might be right for you. Some other people might do just fine with an EV only, or may have more than one car and use the EV for their local driving.
Sam Watson: There are a few problems with hydrogen. H2 is very bulky, compressing enough onboard to get a decent range is expensive - H2 storage costs more than LiIon batteries of similar range. H2 fuel cells are extravagantly expensive due to the platinum catalyst needed - prices start at a quarter million. H2 fuel made from the cheapest source (steam reformed natural gas) costs $8 to $10 per Kg, making a per mile cost comparable to gasoline and about 5x more than running plug-in electrics.
Sorry, but "decentralization" won't stop the oil companies. They've already developed small H2 generators powered by natural gas, suitable for use at their refill stations. The oil companies are hoping the hydrogen hype will persuade the government to pay the cost of installing all the H2 refill stations, so they won't have to risk loosing any of their profits if the hydrogen hype fails.
Of course, the biggest problem the hydrogen promoters face is trying to get everybody else to ignore the much more efficient much less expensive plug-in options. The future is electric.
Ben 10:38PM (7/26/2008)
I've had the umbilical cord of oil companies and car service departments all but drain the last drop of my blood and that of my children. I don't think I want to reconnect another endless relationship with battery leasing as "convenience". Give me ownership and its responsibility with electric cars... even if it means I will be paying longer for ownership.
Reply
a.brien 10:32PM (7/26/2008)
The customers of the new fcx from honda should put 4 kilograms
of green algae(or any other maters) in their tanks for a range of driving approxmatelly 10 000 miles for free or maybe 5$.
Reply
Chris M 2:20AM (7/27/2008)
You do come up with the strangest ideas...
The Honda FCX Clarity is designed to run on pure H2, not "green algae" or any other organic matter. The tank filler is designed for H2 only, and even if some fool found a way to stuff algae into the high pressure H2 tank, it would die, then break down releasing H2S which would poison the fuel cell and kill the car. Of course, it would void the warranty and lead to a horrendously expensive repair bill...
Andy 12:06AM (7/27/2008)
Leasing the battery is a pointless marketing gimmick.
Most people take a loan to buy the car anyway. They should just take a bigger loan to buy the battery car.
The economics is not hard to explain. Just subtract the monthly gas and maintenance savings from the monthly installment.
Looks like financing ignorance will be the achilles heel for EV's.
Reply
fnc 2:06AM (7/27/2008)
Heh, "financing ignorance" is the bedrock on which a lot of profitability seems to rest, much to the detriment of the consumers displaying the ignorance.
I don't know why commenters on blogs always have this either-or, black and white approach when discussing and debating things. Batteries or hybrids and nothing else. Hydrogen or batteries and nothing else. Buying or leasing and nothing else. It always has to come down one way OR the other. Based on the fact that the auto industry currently has buying AND leasing options and it seems to work out fine, I'm guessing that when people go to buy their electric (pure, parallel, hybrid, range extended, whatever they choose), they will have options to buy OR lease the battery according to their current financial situation and whether they want to own it outright or just have the car. Really people, you will have the CHOICE of doing it as you see fit.
I've always been ambivalent about battery exchange stations, as a consumer I'd be concerned about the quality of the battery being put into my car. But we have quality controls and weights and measurement standards for pumps today so it stands to reason similar controls would be in place for battery exchanges as well. And, as I was ranting about above, this doesn't mean we couldn't also have the ability to charge our cars at home. If anything, I'd much prefer a future where I have ~more~ choices about how I fuel my car, whether it's from a 220V outlet in my home or by swinging into the neighborhood battery swap spot.
Serge 10:41AM (7/28/2008)
fnc: thank you for a great post. People start to forget that we do and should have choices.
nmt 1:51PM (7/28/2008)
Ah yes, the fallacy of false dichotomy...great question: why do we see it so often on blogs? I have to suspect it is due at least in part to the broadcasting of that same fallacy into our homes on CNN, FOX News, CBS, and MSNBC 24 hours a day as credible news and editorial debate.
As is usually the case, the freedom of the marketplace is our best bet when it comes to transportation options and energy sources for it. Government must stay out of choosing for us. 4$ a gallon gasoline justifies electric and hybrid cars for a lot more people than it did with 2$ a gallon gasoline just a few years ago and a lot of firms are working overtime to get us new options within the next 12-24 months. Let the market do what it needs to do. It's working right now for us.