The New All Electric Smarts

grober · Feb 24, 2020

Nice short video on the new all Electric Smarts*- they've stopped making any ICE models.
Both sadly marred by zero powertrain updates - a 17.6 kilowatt hour battery is painfully small by todays standards.

* now 50% owned by GEELY
Daimler, Geely turning Smart car into Chinese-made all-electric global brand - Electrek

Bobby Dazzler · Feb 24, 2020

grober said:
Nice short video on the new all Electric Smarts*- they've stopped making any ICE models.
Both sadly marred by zero powertrain updates - a 17.6 kilowatt hour battery is painfully small by todays standards.

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* now 50% owned by GEELY
Daimler, Geely turning Smart car into Chinese-made all-electric global brand - Electrek

I have one of the very last ICE Forfours, which I’ve bought so that my daughter can start learning how to drive well in advance of her 17th birthday - our other cars aren’t very learner friendly!

I hadn’t realised that Smart had dropped ICE engines altogether and so once I realised it prompted me to track down one of the last Forfours with an ICE engine - there were a few in the dealer network but colours were very limited.

I’m quite intrigued by EVs and so I would have quite liked the new EV model, but I wanted my daughter to learn how to drive a manual so she’s not limited on what she can drive later in life (albeit less likely to be a problem over time).

I have to say that I absolutely love it. This year I have probably covered more miles in it than all of our other cars added together ..five times over! We regularly drive it four up which is probably the best compliment I can give it.

It’s seriously slow though, and I mean seriously, seriously slow. I suspect that the EV version is a big improvement in terms of acceleration. That said it’s more than enough to keep up with traffic and can happily cruise at speed on the motorway.

I just wish I bought a Smart years ago, when I first seriously considered in 2006/7-ish. The Forfour has most of the fun & cheekiness of the Fortwo with the flexibility of rear seats. Brilliant.

Larkone · Feb 25, 2020

17.6kWh - what it needs is a compartment where you can plug in some USB battery packs

grober · Feb 25, 2020

No room perhaps- at least its water cooled

Original Smart power train was I believe a TESLA design [ battery and motor] then motor was changed to a RENAULT one presumably at the time SMART started to share a platform with the Renault Twizzy Battery packs are now built in GERMANY but its difficult to untangle where all the present day major components come from. I suspect that the innards of a SMART would reveal a veritable time line of successfull/ill-fated MB collaborations with other parties over the years.

Bellow · Feb 25, 2020

Less is more with fortwos. More battery capacity means longer charge times. For a car designed for city use where charging is at its most compromised, less is likely adequate.

grober · Feb 25, 2020

A bit of detail from the original HAMBACH assembly plant. Packaging constraints would appear to show they essentailly replaced the fuel tank with the battery pack?

Bellow · Feb 25, 2020

grober said:
A bit of detail from the original HAMBACH assembly plant. Packaging constraints would appear to show they essentailly replaced the fuel tank with the battery pack?

Pretty much the case. Early fortwos had a 25l tank confined to one side of the car soon changed to a 35l one that straddled the centre line but was asymmetric. The battery is as if they had gone all the way and given it 50l fuel capacity.
Note how the battery is confined to the rearmost section. Ahead is left free for brake master cylinder (including servo) on one side and ABS/ESP pump on the other. The ICE cars also have a battery box on the side opposite the drivers'. It was, IMO, designed from the outset to house alternative propulsion (as was IMO the original A-Class). I think MB envisaged fuel cells.

grober · Feb 26, 2020

Here's a bit more detail on the battery pack construction - including the cooling. These DIY guys seem to use the components for solar power energy storage?

MadMerx · Mar 1, 2020

I always think these are fabulous around town vehicles but out on the open road it would be a death trap if involved in an accident with something built substantially (say a large van/truck). No substitute for more metal between yourself and whatever drives into you I say. I would attach a sparkler to the roof aerial for an authentic dodgem car look! ;-) (Yes I AM joking)

Bobby Dazzler · Mar 1, 2020

On Friday Smart called an asked if I would like to drive the electric version, and of course I said YES. Looking forward to trying one.

Alfie · Mar 2, 2020

I considered an electric Smart purely as a third non essential town car. Ideal for that purpose and nothing else. What put me off was the price! Ridiculous for a Smart!

Bellow · Mar 2, 2020

MadMerx said:
I always think these are fabulous around town vehicles but out on the open road it would be a death trap if involved in an accident with something built substantially (say a large van/truck). No substitute for more metal between yourself and whatever drives into you I say. I would attach a sparkler to the roof aerial for an authentic dodgem car look! ;-) (Yes I AM joking)

Not when that metal is a hard engine that can be driven back into the passenger cell. Smart at the front is all crumple zone.

grober · Mar 2, 2020

Some small EV SMART rivals to consider? Its mainly on the Mini e but has some useful comparisons listed.

The New All Electric Smarts

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