VIDEO: Driving a Tesla-powered Smart
Tesla-powered smart fortwo Click above for a hi-res gallery
When Tesla launched its amazing Model S a while back, it wasn't the only Tesla-powered machine supplying rides to attendees. Also ferrying guests about a short circuit (so to speak) was a smart fortwo imbued with a Tesla-engineered drivetrain, fruit of its effort to supply Daimler with battery packs for 1,000 smart eds. Our friend Doug, of Tesla Motors Club fame, was at the event and went for a ride in the diminutive one, armed with a video camera to record the ride, the results of which we are happy to share with you after the break. Because of the nature of the event, there was no demonstration of heart-stopping acceleration or sure-footedness through a slalom, which is somewhat disappointing. The car would have been capable of making a lasting impression given the chance, outfitted, as it was, with the motor and gear box 1.0 from the Tesla Roadster.
Perhaps more interesting than the ride, at least for some electro-geeks, are some of the pictures Doug took of the battery pack on display that will go into the electric smarts. Encased in metal and painted black, the battery looked much smaller than a Roadster pack and is said to be able to power the fortwo up to 100 miles. Check out the pics in the gallery below and don't forget to hit the jump for some smart video action.
Gallery: Tesla smart mule and battery
[Source: Tesla Motors Club]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Doug King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TEG 3:09PM (4/24/2009)
"Because of the nature of the event, there was no demonstration of heart-stopping acceleration or sure-footedness through a slalom..."
Well they did give brief bursts of acceleration through the parking lot to show that it does have some Roadster goodness to it. But yes, there was no slalom to see how it handles the twisties.
I wish the thing was for sale as-is. It is probably a real rocket compared to the Daimler version that will eventually show up.
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Bill 3:31PM (4/24/2009)
Maybe they'll sell some as-is and put the AMG badge on it... ;-)
Rishard Chapoteau 3:35PM (4/24/2009)
Why these smart cars weren't electric is beyond me. For 20k at that size it should have been electric to begin with. That being said, pending on the price and distance and speed I would be interested in picking something like this up.
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solrak 5:02AM (4/25/2009)
Why this secret and this limitations on the test, have they some to hide?
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Zeph 10:32AM (4/25/2009)
What they have to hide is the fact they are downgrading already fairly simple technology so as to artificially create value through scarcity. Merc wants the electric smart to perform badly, to have a short range and little power, so that it dosen't eat up other products in the lineup. For this to happen there has to be a detuning process. This has nothing to do with real economics and more to do with marketing, which is the black art of herding people into paying more for less.
It is probably possible to make a 20k electric smart that outperforms most other cars on the road in everything except range and top speed. But that would be too good for what merc wants to accomplish. The automotive industry is still trying to make electric cars as expensive and inefficient as they possibly can, and it's a tough deal because the electronics industry is going the other way. Nokia cellphone batteries for example have been halved in size, which shows just how much better the tech is getting, without even getting into supercapacitors and alternate chemistry.
MarkT 1:31AM (4/26/2009)
Could someone hurry up and start selling these please! There's a company in Guernsey (a UK island) which does conversions (the Mk1 shape), but I want a current shape model and a 60 mile range is just fine. Why is it taking so long for manufacturers to get this sorted?? A Smart/Tesla combo sounds fantastic for the commute. Mercedes please take note....
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Jay 1:56AM (4/25/2009)
I drive a Smart and I am frequently asked if it is electric (even once at a GAS station). Seems like a very logical evolution to the brand. I would seriously consider getting one whenever it comes out.
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jharlan 2:20PM (4/25/2009)
You know, I still just have no use for a toy car at a real car price. Competition is going to force them to produce a comfortable, usable, extended range EV for that price, and I will just have to wait.
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Roger Smith 3:45PM (4/25/2009)
Why do they even sell the Gas ver of the car in the states the Diesel ver just makes more sense it gets almost twice the mileage of the petrol ver.... o well I guess they think all yanks hate diesels ... hopefully diesel prices will dip below regular since they finished all of the low sulfur diesel producing plants. I really would love to get a 120D coupe BMW u cant beat 0-60 of 7.5 and 49 mpg.. plus its sexy and a fairly practical car a smart isnt that much smaller then a 1 series coupe to have such little storage space.
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Ernesttechuser 11:15PM (4/25/2009)
Tesla have nothing to do with the official Smart ForTwo EV (a.k.a. ED). This must be some kind of private venture.
Zytek (a UK based company) make the motor and drivetrain for it. There are already about 300 of them being leased on a trial basis. The car will officially launch later this year or early next.
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Chris M 1:48AM (4/26/2009)
Actually, there are at least two different "smart EV" efforts. The first one was the Zytek design you mentioned, but this is a 2nd "new and improved" design from Tesla, with more power, higher speed and greater range.
Level 5 7:37AM (4/27/2009)
I think an electric Smart with this sort of power would sell well. There's alot of people I know who have said "Oh I'd love to drive one of these but it doesn't have enough power, I'd get eaten alive on the highway." While I don't agree with that statement, a Tesla powered version of the Smart would make that argument pretty moot, yes?
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