Smart EV (or ED)

The Tesla Motors Club held an event recently where they got to check out the Smart EV prototype, an all electric version of the tiny Smart Car. We've seen that the Smart is best suited to short range city driving, so the Smart EV's "near 100 mile range" should be plenty for most users.

Tesla says that they expect Smart will launch the EV this December

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graham said:

And Sci-Fi's DVice:

Tesla powered electric Smart Car gets a test drive | DVICE

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malcolm said:

In spite of the fact it's a gadget blog, Gizmodo doesn't get it...

Gizmodo - Tesla-Smart Collaboration Produces Underwhelming Electric Car - Tesla

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... the coolest ride at last night's electron-soiree was not the Model S or even Tesla's Roadster - it was an adorable prototype electric Daimler/Smart Fortwo fitted out with the same drive-train Tesla uses in its Roadster. The Fortwo looks like a rollerskate but rides like a rocket, as I discovered when Tesla Systems Specialist Colin Gillingham took me for a spin. Electrics are famous for their torque, but when Colin hit the pedal, it brought back memories of being cat-shot off the deck of an aircraft carrier. He demurred when I asked him to make the little beast pop a wheelie, but I am certain it could.

Sadly, the production Fortwo won't include the Roadster's screaming drive-train, but it is still certain to be a hit when Daimler releases it in the US sometime in the next two years. The Smart car has always looked like it should be electric, a fact belied by the current model's lousy gas mileage. Thanks to Tesla's technology, the Fortwo electric will likely top 170 miles between charges, plenty for toing and froing in the Bay Area, and it's diminutive size makes it perfect for parking in space-starved San Francisco. Best of all, Daimler is rumored to be pricing it at under $20k (the first units will be leased), putting the fortwo within the reach of the rest of us.

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Smart EV with a Tesla Drivetrain

• Posted by Robert Basil on June 3, 2009 at 5:47pm
• View Robert Basil's blog

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. My 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.

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dpeilow said:

By follows up, you mean sees this thread and then posts the story with direct links to the source (again).

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dpeilow said:

By follows up, you mean sees this thread and then posts the story with direct links to the source (again).

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Clever drivers can air condition their smart fortwo electric drive in advance as long as their vehicle is being charged at home - the long-standing dream of stationary cooling becomes a reality! No other car offers this comfortable option.

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