Full disclosure: The C/D office is nearly unanimous in the opinion that the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is something less than a real car. Is it the world’s most luxurious golf cart? Probably. Here to challenge the notion is a fairly comprehensive quarter-cycle refresh for 2012 that brings the subtle exterior changes shared with other 2012 Fortwos and an overhaul of the ED’s biggest weak point: its powertrain. Smart promises better performance from its latest Electric Drive, and showed off the updated model at the Geneva auto show.
Allow us to recap our experiences with the pre-refresh Smart Electric Drive. After subjecting the ED to our vehicle-testing procedures, the numbers weren’t even close to those of a typical modern automobile: Zero to 60 mph took 23.4 seconds and a top speed of 63 mph was all the ED could muster. Smart apparently also feels that this is unacceptable, as this updated version includes a new, more-powerful Bosch-derived electric motor paired with a higher-capacity battery.
The new Smart ED packs 34 more hp for a new total of 74. Torque is up, too, from 89 lb-ft to 96. Battery capacity grows from 16.5 kWh in the outgoing car’s Tesla-sourced lithium-ion unit to 17.6 from a new pack supplied by Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive. As you’d expect, the injection of 85 percent more power is a game-changer for the electric Fortwo. Smart claims the car can now run from 0-to-62 mph in less than 13 seconds before topping out at 75 mph. As the company puts it, this kind of performance puts the ED “on par” with the gas-powered Fortwo. We’d never consider the gas Fortwo a performance bogey, but at least the electric version is no longer dangerously slow.
The new Electric Drive also offers more range; Smart says the car can travel up to 87 miles per charge in urban driving, although the EPA figure might differ. For reference, the EPA-rated range for the Nissan Leaf is 73 miles; the agency certified the outgoing ED at 63. Recharging the battery takes around eight hours when juicing from a standard wall socket, but an optional 22-kW on-board quick charger is available that can do the deed in just one hour. The improved Fortwo Electric Drive will be available in 30 markets by this summer, and we expect the U.S. to be included in that group. Pricing and/or leasing terms have yet to be announced.
Source : Google Reader
No comments:
Post a Comment