REPORT: second wave of elecric smart fortwos will be cheaper, available in 2010
smart ed - Click above for high res image gallery
Currently, fleets in the UK that are testing the all-electric smart ed have to pay Daimler £380 per month per car for the privilege. When the next-generation test vehicles arrive in 2010, Daimler hopes to get the per-month lease cost down to under £200, according to a new report in BusinessCar. Over 100 second-gen smart eds will be tested next year, and some of the cost reduction will come from government incentives in London and West Midlands. These test fleets – along with a similar program coming to the U.S. next year – are building up to the smart ed's general availability in the UK in 2012. Daimler announced in June that small series production vehicles will be available in early 2010. Mercedes-Benz UK's Dermot Kelly told BusinessCar that electric vehicles are the future, thanks to government support. "With the encouragement of Government going forward," he said, "there is a very high probability that in the future a high percentage of cars will be electric and we need to be at the forefront of that."
Gallery: smart ed
[Source: BusinessCar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GROM 7:05PM (7/25/2009)
I never understood why they released the Smart with an engine to begin with.
It's such a small car and design and weight is perfect for a electric only vehicle.
Finally now they are releasing it and I bet even in 2010 it will be hard to get and too expensive comparing it to Prius or insight.
Mercedes wake up !
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gorr 7:38PM (7/25/2009)
This is ridiculous, this is their only alternate to gasoline and the're even not selling it to the market. Then just don't buy anything whatsoever from mercedes. I said to pass on the attack mode, they refuse to sell greeneries, then remember the names and refuse to buy anything from them until zimbabwe or india start commercialysing green cars and trucks and airplanes and ships and small personnal u.f.o's.
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cowboy bob 6:40AM (7/27/2009)
Childish.
jake 8:20PM (7/25/2009)
That's a pretty inexpensive lease, but it's still a lease. It appears they are not confident enough to have it for sale yet. They are probably waiting for battery prices to come down a bit more in order to prevent sticker shock for initial customers.
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Nick P. 12:24AM (7/26/2009)
Classic case of major automaker foot-dragging, otherwise known as dont-wanna-do-it-until-everyone-else-is-doing-it. Thank god for Nissan/Renaud & Tesla -- we may one day get out of this hell.
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Alan 7:00AM (7/26/2009)
Don't forget Mitsubishi.
monica 7:57PM (7/26/2009)
oh, gorr. such nonsense!
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evtestdk 3:28AM (7/27/2009)
The car drives very nice as an EV.
Martin
www.evtest.dk
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Patchy 9:04PM (7/27/2009)
elecric? heheh found a typo :)
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