HOT  New 2018 SMART FORTWO ELETRIC DRIVE
Channel: Auto Today
Date: 2017-01-11

HOT  New 2018 SMART FORTWO ELETRIC DRIVE. If there is one car that's ideal for electrification, it's the Smart Fortwo, the tiny two-seat city runabout. Smart has recently introduced a much improved third generation of the conventional model, and once again Daimler offers an electric variant.

We’ve driven prototypes of the new Smart Electric Drive and found that it operates in near silence. Acceleration, however, remains leisurely. According to its maker, the sprint from zero to 60 mph takes 11.4 seconds (11.7 for the cabrio model), and the car tops out at a governed 81 mph. While that’s slower than our test result for the outgoing model, the new car may outperform its maker’s estimates when we strap our gear to one.

The motivating force is a three-phase synchronous AC motor that produces 80 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque. It’s fed by a 17.2-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and drives the rear wheels. There is only one transmission ratio, and the electric motor spins the opposite direction.

The outgoing Smart Electric Drive used a Tesla-supplied battery, but Daimler has ditched that unit in favor of its own pack, supplied by its wholly owned ACCUmotive subsidiary. The new battery pack and its onboard charger is a significant step forward: U.S.-market models can be recharged in 2.5 hours via a 240-volt source, which is less than half the time needed by the predecessor, and a full charge should allow the Smart to travel for almost 100 miles. (The current model is EPA rated at 68 miles of range.) With fast-charging equipment, which will be offered later (although it may not come to the U.S. market), charging times can be reduced to just 45 minutes. Plug it into a standard 120-volt household outlet, on the other hand, and it takes 22 hours to raise the battery's charge from 20 to 100 percent.

To maximize range, select the Eco setting. It cuts top speed and reduces climate-control system operation. To diminish the HVAC system’s battery drain, the Smart's interior can be preconditioned while the vehicle is charging. An optional winter package adds a heated steering wheel, which slightly alleviates the need to warm the entire cabin.

The interior is much roomier than before but largely unchanged from the gasoline-powered Smart, excepting an additional gauge with a charge indicator and a battery-status display. If you'd like to display this Smart's properties to the outside world as well, go ahead and opt for the Electric Drive design package, which sees the mirror caps and the Tridion Safety Cell painted in screaming Electric Green. As before, the electric version will come both as a conventional two-door hatchback and as a convertible with fixed window rails.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet, as there’s still some time before the vehicle arrives here in early 2017. Figure on the mid-$20,000 range—and very competitive leasing rates.

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