Smart announced that it will be selling electrified versions of the ForTwo Coupe and the ForTwo Cabriolet by next spring and summer, respectively. That’s a grand idea, and in doing so, Smart will effectively make the regular, gas-driven Coupe and Cabrio completely useless, and here’s why.
The electric ForTwos will be driven by 17.6 kWh batteries, good for 80 HP and 118 lb-ft of torque, and most importantly, up about 99 miles of range, which is really not bad for a little city car like the Smart.
Good. Yes. Fine. Do it.
The power numbers really aren’t that different from those of the gas-driven ones. I drove a ForTwo Cabrio last week (review coming later today), and my biggest gripe with it was how infuriatingly absent low-end power was.
Electrifying the ForTwo is quite possibly the best thing that anyone could do because then it will have all the power right from the start. Arguably, this the direction that the cars should have started with in the first place.
The ForTwos are meant to be city cars. Which means that owners are likely not traveling massive distances in them before parking them again, where they can be charged. No more buying gas. Why would anyone choose the gas-driven ForTwo over the electric version, then?
There is no word yet on pricing.