smart fortwo ed

737max

Smart ForTwo Electric Drive ready for launch

https://www.facebook.com/smart.germany/posts/1206266636092800?csref=electric_drive

Hopefully, my company will replace the earlier ForTwos in the pool with these and I'll get a chance to test it.

No specific details about HP, KW, range, etc...
HP can probably be guessed from the Renault as they use the same motor.

I expect it to be a willing little go-cart with around 200km range.

slicedpanman

They cover it on pushev

http://pushevs.com/2016/08/05/more-details-on-the-new-smart-fortwo-ed/

josip

Some more details here.
http://newatlas.com/smart-electric-drive/45580/
I wonder what the price will be in Ireland, similar to the Leaf or a little less?

cros13

737max wrote: »

I expect it to be a willing little go-cart with around 200km range.

Fat chance. The NEDC range is 160km.

zilog_jones

So I'm guessing more like 120km in the real world?

cros13

zilog_jones wrote: »

So I'm guessing more like 120km in the real world?

More like 100km on good day. To put it in context the NEDC range of the current Leaf is 250km. And that gets 150-180km in the real world.

737max

Well that has left me disappointed. I really wanted to be getting through a week without charging. Zoe still looking like best option for me despite the battery rental.
Smart has no rental costs for battery which means I could lease this very cheaply in my company car scheme if i could put up with the hassle of having to charge it more regularly.
If Smart is going with Merc batteries and Renault has something else then there is still hope that this fortwo/forfour/twingo platform will produce a decent EV.

cros13

If they announce the R400 at the paris motor show you might be able to get a good deal on an R240.

I like the Zoe, it's just a pity Renault mandated battery rental on them. Apart from the disadvantages for the owner/not owner it gives the impression to potential customers that the LG Chem battery is problematic when that's far from the case.

zilog_jones

Is battery rental really that bad an idea? How much does it cost with Renault? We know that Li-ion batteries have a limited useful life and we know they're very expensive to replace - it's just most of these cars haven't been around long enough for us to know how long they are expected to last in this application. Does the lease agreement have any specifics about what conditions they'll replace the battery, e.g. if the range goes below a certain threshold; or does it have to die completely?

737max

battery rental means that I'd have to pay full cost of battery rental myself and isn't qualified for some company and government incentives.
This means that rather than paying just BIK at marginal rate I'm paying full lease cost on the battery. That is maybe 50 or 70 euro more per month.
A Zoe with an included battery would be a no-brainer for me. Without battery it adds to cost a fair bit.

The teaser rates for Zoe Battery are only for 5000km per year which is too little unlike with a i3 which I could drive without limit.

As batteries are proving themselves to be very reliable they really should be lowering the rental cost too as they don't have to allow much for battery replacement across their fleet.

737max

I appear to have an answer as to why the range for the Smart ForTwo is so bad. It may be using the Renault charger and motor but it is using a Mercedes Battery. I expect Renault/LG have better battery tech than Mercedes.

Taken from the press release for the Mercedes Road to the Future even back in June.

smart: Complete range of vehicles available with electric propulsion from 2017
The smart fortwo coupé electric drive, smart fortwo cabrio electric drive and smart forfour electric drive are making their global debuts at the Paris Motor Show in September 2016. With the debut of the fourth generation of the electric smart, smart will be the only automotive manufacturer in the world to offer its entire range of models with either combustion engines or fully battery-powered. The new smart fortwo electric drive is being launched onto the US market by the end of this year, where approximately 25 percent of all battery-driven smarts have been sold recently. This will be followed by the European market launch of the two and four-seaters in early 2017.
The vehicles will be as agile and zippy as usual, helped by the extraordinarily tight turning circle of 6.95 meters for the two-seater which is exactly the same as for the same model with conventional propulsion. Even with colours and optional extras no wish remains open - electric driving is maximally individualized at smart. The charging time is an important factor for potential buyers of electric vehicles. The new smart electric drive will also be much more convenient in this respect.It is equipped with a battery supplied by Daimler's subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE. The company, which is based in Kamenz in the Saxony region of Germany, has been producing the electrical heart of the smart electric drive since 2012.

but the battery cells may be comingfrom LG Chem.
https://transportevolved.com/2015/04/02/move-over-tesla-lg-chem-now-largest-manufacturer-of-electric-car-battery-packs-thanks-to-daimler-deal/

BTW Smart forfour is now 4000 euro cheaper than VW e-UP! with a similar range in Germany.