Smart ForTwo Electric Drive will be the cheapest EV in America

[Wimbledon]

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11210034...cheapest-ev-in

Smart has announced plans to offer the most affordable electric vehicle in the United States.

Set to go on sale next spring, the ForTwo Electric Drive coupe and convertible will be priced from $25,000 and $28,000. The models will also be eligible for government rebates of up to $7,500.

As we have previously reported, the ForTwo Electric Drive features a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery which powers an electric motor that develops 75 HP (55 kW) and 130 Nm (96 lb-ft) of torque. It enables the model to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 11.5 seconds and travel up to 145 km (90 miles) on a single charge.

[VarianceVQ]

Cheapest EV, most expensive golf cart.

[Benkennedy11]

Now there is an EV that should sell. Cheap entry, focused on "city" owners, and a 90 mile range is reasonably useful.

[Sledge]

Maybe it's overly flashy, but I love that metal blue paint.

[mikegilbert]

Cheapest EV, most expensive golf cart.

Came for this. Leaving satisfied.

[mike02467]

A bit pricey for a golf cart. And the golf cart would be more practical..

[Crimping Is Easy]

That Brabus variant actually looks pretty good.

For a Smart.

[Mike!]

Maybe it's overly flashy, but I love that metal blue paint.

Same.

This also fixes one of the smart's most annoying attributes - the sequential manual gearbox.

[Lwize]

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is $30-32K (before incentives). With four usable seats, that's a better EV value than the Smart EV, but only short-range (62miles).

[turbinepowered]

Maybe it's overly flashy, but I love that metal blue paint.

This.

I actually could see myself driving one of these. 15 mile commute, I have the opportunity to plug in at work AND on campus, I rarely range further than 50 miles in a day...

[Swallow Doretti]

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is $30-32K (before incentives). With four usable seats, that's a better EV value than the Smart EV, but only short-range (62miles).

That's not saying much.

I'd rather just pony up the bucks for a LEAF or a Focus EV.

[IridiumB6]

What about this colossal piece of crap?

[Mike!]

Canadian pricing announced - $26,990 for the Coupe and $29,990 for the Cabriolet. It's eligible for the full $8,500 provincial EV rebate in Ontatio, meaning out the door with taxes and everything would be around $22k... or what a Mazda2 GS costs.

I'm going to drive one when they're out in the spring. It seems to make a lot of sense, and is a bargain.

[kickapoo]

I had a chance to ride in one of these when I was in Monaco earlier this year. Cool little car but holy crap does it feel slow coming up to speed...especially when bigger cars around you fly past you.

[nickthaskater]

I love this:



Also, shouldn't the electric drivetrain remove the biggest detractor of the Smart: the jerky transmission?

140 km per charge is pretty solid, too. I could make 2 round trip commutes to work plus some random running around on that.

[uncleho]

Cars like the Smart (or Twizy or Spark or Miev, etc.) seem almost ideal for EV. They're intended for city living due to their size, which helps keep the mass down... and when you think city living doesn't mean that much commuting range... this permits them to have a more moderately-sized battery pack, and thus, balance the amount of batteries needed onboard moreso than the larger compact EVs, etc.

If cities continue to seek younger crowds by redeveloping their structure better (to entice them to come)... cars like this will make more and more sense. In fact... depending on the city and the climate... these mini EVs could actually be a backup vehicle of sorts with the city dweller relying mainly on public transport or bikes/scooters/etc.

I think given our nature of being spoiled with torque for so long... it is hard for many to downgrade to mini cars... as their powertrains are usually less refined (due to the price point) and their performance (acceleration and range) well below average. And that is natural given shrinking displacement can only go so far, because in the end... the basic componentry in an ICE powertrain still needs to meet certain metrics for durability.

My point is that a lower-end EV should be able to package the necessary drive unit, electronics, and batteries and still afford the customer a more balanced product for their city needs.