Electric Smart Fortwo Undergoing Real-World Tests In London

Though not yet available to the public, Daimler has released a few copies of their electric Smart Fortwo to agencies and companies around Britain for some real-world testing. Don't be surprised if you're cruising around Islington only to find yourself apprehended by a bobby in a juiced-up Smart car, though you can try to escape by driving further than the car's 72-mile range. If you can get the cops to run out of power that'll give you an eight-hour jump on them. Drivers of the vehicles have access to free electricity in certain parts of the city and free or discounted parking in London. If it's good enough for Shaq it's probably good enough for some dude named Yorrick. Press release below the jump.

Smart Enough For You

Press Release

We’d like to introduce you to a car that’s designed to bring a breath of fresh air to the streets: the refreshingly new smart electric vehicle – or smart ed, as we call it. It’s the natural product of smart’s unswerving commitment to the environment and innovation – not to mention fun. It isn’t available to buy just yet, but it isn’t a million miles off.

Think of a smart. Then think of an electric socket concealed behind what used to be the fuel cap. Picture the complete absence of exhaust fumes, so no CO2 emissions from the rear. Close your eyes and hear… no sound at all coming from the engine. Imagine no engine oil, no road tax, and no London congestion charge and you’ll start to get a sense of what really makes the new smart ed tick.

Powered solely by electricity, and chargeable from any three-pin socket the smart ed can achieve the equivalent of 300 mpg – that amounts to a saving of up to 80% in fuel costs over the already highly economical smart fortwo. The ev can travel up to 72 miles between charges, which typically take around 8 hours for a full charge – ideal for charging at work between your morning and evening commutes. If your journey takes you into the capital, you will find free electricity provided by some London boroughs, as well as free or discounted parking. With a top-up charge during the day, the smart ed’s daily range weighs in at 100 miles.

With that in mind, we’re running a market trial with selected blue chip companies who are happy to meet our requirements to power the cars using only renewable energy sources. When we say zero emissions, we really mean it! Among the partners already enrolled in the trial are Urban Splash, Islington and Coventry Councils, Foster & Partners, CarbonNeutral Company, EDF Energy and Amey.

What’s more, our ed hasn’t had to sacrifice any of the fortwo’s performance or class-leading equipment: expect the full complement of Mercedes-Benz safety features and a powerful Zytek electric motor, electronically-limited top speed of 60 mph. Once it’s up to speed (0-30mph in an impressive 6.5 seconds) the ed uses its tiny weight gain to deliver an exciting and stable drive.

So there you have it: a zero emission vehicle that is 100% smart; a car that will save money and the environment. Although the smart ed won’t be available to the public just yet, it’s definitely something we’re working on.

[Source: Daimler]

Send an email to Matt Hardigree, the author of this post, at matt@jalopnik.com.

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