Electric Smart at last.

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grober

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London is to be the testbed for the electric Smart some 6 months [at least] since it was announced. Its claimed CO2 figure is is 60gm/kilometer taking into account power station emissions. A recharge from the mains is £1-20 with a supposed range of about 70miles. http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=226488
 
It's about time too. We were having milk delivered by an electric milk float 45 years ago and I cant believe the progress on electric cars since then has not moved forward very much.

I think a 70 mile range and 70 Mph with 2 seats will cover more than 80% of all journeys made by car in London. It will certainly do all the supermarket trips and commuting, it just needs more seats to do the school run. And at £1.20 for a full charge that is about a quater of the cost of a petrol Smart.

Wether you'll actually get people to go for it however is another matter.
 
Stark choices in the future.

Much as we scoff at "dinky" electric cars, if given the choice between waiting 15 minutes for a bus in the pouring rain to drag yourself down to Tescos and drag yourself back laden with plastic bags filled shopping and using one of these I know which one I'd choose. Maybe most of us will be driving some form of "ecologically sound" car in the future :eek: but as long as they fulfill the basic functions of a car - get you + passenger/s + baggage from A TO B ( A and B defined by the driver not a route/timetable ) in reasonable comfort and safety-- when you want ! :) then I think I prefer the flexibility of individual transport rather than the vagaries/ rigidity of mass public transport. I don't like it :( but its possibly the next stark choice we will all have to make.:crazy:
 
Much as we scoff at "dinky" electric cars, if given the choice between waiting 15 minutes for a bus in the pouring rain to drag yourself down to Tescos and drag yourself back laden with plastic bags filled shopping and using one of these I know which one I'd choose. Maybe most of us will be driving some form of "ecologically sound" car in the future :eek: but as long as they fulfill the basic functions of a car - get you + passenger/s + baggage from A TO B ( A and B defined by the driver not a route/timetable ) in reasonable comfort and safety-- when you want ! :) then I think I prefer the flexibility of individual transport rather than the vagaries/ rigidity of mass public transport. I don't like it :( but its possibly the next stark choice we will all have to make.:crazy:

Plastic bags ?
 
paperbag+water=disaster

Good point! Maybe future legislation would dictate that supermarket bags would have to be made from recyclable material like paper in which case you might make it half way to the mass transit interface facility [ bus stop ] before all your shopping lands in a puddle as the wet shopping bags slowly come apart in the pouring rain.;)
 
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It's about time too. We were having milk delivered by an electric milk float 45 years ago and I cant believe the progress on electric cars since then has not moved forward very much.


Perhaps that is because the Laws of Physics haven't moved forward very much in the last 45 years either! Unless there is a major breakthrough in battery technology, there won't be a paradigm shift to battery power.

Of course, huge rises in oil prices will increasingly push people towards less energy-intensive solutions, but for most people that would involve buying a more economical car, still with a petrol or diesel engine.
 
Perhaps that is because the Laws of Physics haven't moved forward very much in the last 45 years either! Unless there is a major breakthrough in battery technology, there won't be a paradigm shift to battery power.
There have been lots of major breakthroughs in battery technology, you only have to look at your mobile phone or digital camera to realise that!
 
There have been lots of major breakthroughs in battery technology, you only have to look at your mobile phone or digital camera to realise that!


You're right. But none of those technologies are really relevant to powered transport.

The good old lead/acid battery is still the all-round best performer, and that was the one used in milk floats 45 years ago. The alternatives have problems of very high cost, poor power/weight ratio and/or short service life.

Likewise, hydrogen offers potential benefits but it needs a technological breakthrough to become viable. After more than 20 years of research, hydrogen is still not a viable proposition.

There is still a lot of life in the internal combustion engine.
 
There is huge amount of research going into batteries for roadgoing vehicles.

Do not think this can be in the cars for the London trials but rechargable Zinc/Air battery packs are being touted as the next big thing for vehicles

http://www.ntnu.no/gemini/2003-06e/9.htm
 
Fifth gears piece on the electric Smart was interesting in a superficial sort of way in that they glanced over the fact you can't buy one! http://fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain...d=1111&pageid=2665&show=s13e7&section=On test
What was impressive was the huge difference in "fuel" cost. However following hard on its heels is Smarts revamped "MINI-HYBRID" shown at the Geneva motor show and the direct injection diesel cdi engined car with a CO2 figure of 88 gm/kilometer. Just re-enforces my idea that the manufacturers can provide the technology if the market demands it. http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Mar08/...eneva_Motor_Show_The_edition_limited_two.html
 
I watched the fifth gear test and all the emphasis was on performance. Of the 3 tests for each car 2 were soley based on speed, 0 to 30 times and how fast it could go through the slalom course. Only lunatics drive like that in the real world.
What they should have done is take it off the track and put it into a city centre and judged it on whether it kept up with everything else and was it's range sufficient. Then look at things like comfort and safety. But no, lets judge every car on how fast it accellerates as if that's all that matters :crazy:
 
the ED video

I agree with you about the hairsplitting on the performance/handling aspects of the cars which were pretty similar. What was eye opening was the RANGE difference.
To fully charge the electric smart at peak electricity rates from the mains cost £1-92. this gave a range of 30miles in simulated traffic driving. Filled with £1-92 worth of petrol the other conventionally engined Smart managed 12miles under similar conditions. I want one---until the chancellor figures out how to tax it of course!
Here's the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1p2FPRZRLI I rather liked the honda generator in the boot bit at the end tho.;)
 
Some years ago I had an AX Electrique. About 60 miles range and Ni-Cad batteries. Perfect to do my 20 miles trip to the office where I had a socket available if needed. I worked out that it cost me 50p to recharge fully. Perfect for what I needed and never let me down. The funniest was the additional "bird" horn which you use when creeping up on people so you did not scare them. I can't wait to see a decent replacement, something with about 50-60 miles range on batteries.
 
Though I would now love to have a smaller car as well,, I cant see the point of spending £10k more and save £2k in fuel over the next 10 years
 
Put enough solar panels on the garage roof and travel for free.:bannana:
 
Put enough solar panels on the garage roof and travel for free.:bannana:


Once you've paid £1000 per panel :crazy: Shouldn't take too long to pay off :crazy:
 

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