First Drive: 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive

[svgallery name="2011_Smart_Electric_NYC_pics"]

An EV for two

How smart is it to go electric in ‘Benz’s ForTwo city car?

By John LeBlanc BROOKLYN, New York – Driving in a large metropolis like New York City creates all kinds of anxieties when behind the wheel—maniacal cabbies, aggressive bike couriers, and wayward pedestrians, to name a few. But as I approached the ominously steep incline of the Manhattan Bridge from the Brooklyn side of the East River, heading northwest towards NYC’s Chinatown, I began to experience what every electric-vehicle driver fears: “range” anxiety. I was driving one of the first ever Smart ForTwo Electric Drives to arrive in North America, a battery-powered version of Mercedes-Benz’s two-seat city car that’s been available with diesel or gas internal-combustion engines in Europe since 1998 and Canada since 2004. And instead of the flatter, battery-friendly routes around the gentrified Prospect Park area of Brooklyn Smart officials prescribed, I decided to drive the electric Smart into Manhattan and back, a seemingly short 16 km round trip. Smart claims, fully charged, the ForTwo ED has a range of 135 km. So with the 16.5kW/h battery charge gauge reading 90 per cent, I should have had no worries of draining its batteries. The problem was, the three other production electric cars I’ve driven before, the Mini E, Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi iMiEV, delivered well below claimed ranges when driven normally in everyday traffic. That’s why, theoretical battery ranges aside, I kept one jaundiced eye on the Smart’s battery gauge, and another on the Big Apple’s maniacal cabbies, aggressive bike couriers and wayward pedestrians… Smart started production on the second-generation electric ForTwo in France, last November. Cars are currently undergoing fleet tests in European cities such as Berlin and London. As a prelude to offering its first all-electric, zero-emission Smart car to retail customers by 2012, Mercedes-Benz of Canada has confirmed that as part of a 1,500-unit world-wide launch, a fleet of 45 ForTwo Electrics will be tested in Canada, starting with the first electric Smart being delivered to Toronto Hydro this November. At this point, most of the electric Smarts coming to Canada will be leased to commercial ventures, like the Toronto Hydro deal. But some may also go to the public. All will be returned to Mercedes for evaluation. While a gas 2010 Smart starts at $14,990—or leased for as little as $148 a month for 48 months with an $1,100 downpayment—Canadian pricing for the electric Smart has yet to be set. In the U.S., though, Smart will lease either a 2011 ForTwo ED coupe or convertible for 48-months at $599 USD/month with a $2,5000 USD downpayment. That includes a $7,500 USD government incentive, and mileage is limited to 16,000 km/year. The Province of Ontario recently announced purchase incentives for electric vehicles that will range between $5,000 and $8,500, depending on the size of the battery the vehicle uses. For instance, Nissan Canada says its LEAF EV—available in the U.S., Japan and parts of Europe later this year, and in parts of Canada by the end of 2011—has a 24 kW/h battery and is eligible for the full amount. “As we understand it, the required capacity for the full $8,500 is 17 kW/h.  Thus we are only 0.5 kW/h below that threshold, and considering eligibility for the incentive begins at $5,000 for a 4 kW/h battery, we don't expect to be much below the maximum,” said Mercedes-Benz Canada’s Michael Minelly. Smart’s global product manager, Pitt Moos, said the original 1997 two-seat city car was designed to be an electric or hybrid from the start. So the switch over to battery power, thankfully, has seen little practical compromises in the ForTwo’s already limited passenger and cargo room. Outside, the ForTwo ED I drove were done up with bright green “ELECTRIC DRIVE” graphics, but otherwise, was visually identical to a regular Smart—even the outlet for its plug-in cable has been hidden where the gas cap currently resides. Inside, the former tachometre and clock pods are now a battery metre and ammetre that show how much energy is being used or recuperated. The former fuel gauge in the driver instrumentation shows battery level as well. The new ForTwo ED’s single gear automatic transmission, electric motor, and Tesla-supplied lithium battery pack rest below its rear cargo deck, right where the 1.0-litre three-cylinder gas engine is usually found. With a 220-volt connection, Smart says the electric version’s batteries can fully charges in fewer than eight hours. While the gas model makes 70 hp and 68 lb-ft of torque, the ForTwo ED puts out a peak output of 40 hp in short spurts (27 normally) and 89 lb-ft. Going electric adds 140 kg to the ForTwo, for a total of about 975 kg. In the end, my “range” anxiety during my short Manhattan Island adventure was uncalled for. Despite its motor screaming like an electric toothbrush as I traversed the bridge back into Brooklyn, there still seemed to be plenty of juice left in the Smart ED’s batteries. The company seems to be deliberately pessimistic about the electric version’s driving range. Even after getting lost for a few blocks in SOHO while trying to get back into Brooklyn, the ForTwo ED’s battery metre still had about 75 per cent of its charge left, which backed up the 135 km range claim. “We like our drivers to say, Hey, look at what a great driver I am!” joked Smart’s Moos, adding that based on previous trials in the U.K, ForTwo ED drivers were getting about 4 to 5 hours of city drive time, which worked out to about one to two overnight charges per week. But as Smart’s Moos reminded us, “speed is a killer” in any EV. So the Smart is limited to a 100 km top speed. In many respects, the ForTwo is a better drive than the current gas model. The ride has been substantially improved; bumps and potholes are now luxuriously smothered. And its single-gear automatic transmission is a huge improvement over the regular Smart’s sequential gearbox, its herky-jerky actions forcing drivers into bobble-head impersonators. As much as Mercedes is trying to make the electric version of its Smart as similar as the gas version, like any EV, its ownership cost equation is the complete antithesis. The ForTwo ED costs more to buy, but less to “fuel.” You’ll never visit a gas station again, but you’ll always be searching for an electrical socket. And ForTwo ED drivers won’t be emitting any tailpipe emissions, but where you source your electricity from (coal or nuclear versus water, wind or solar) may be as harmful to the environment as a fossil-fueled car. Even at full production after 2012, the limited number of electric Smarts ever sold won’t save the planet or get us off our addiction to oil. What the 2011 ForTwo Electric Drive does illustrate is the next logical step in the evolution of the modern electric vehicle. Only time will tell if the destination was worth the journey. 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive WHAT I LIKED: Zero-emissions driving; you’ll never have to pay for gas again; more refined driving experience than gas Smart. WHAT I DIDN’T: Limited driving range and top speed; expensive to lease; questionable environmental benefits. Est. base cost: 48-month, $600 per month lease Type of vehicle: RWD, two-seat, hatchback Engine: Battery-powered electric motor Power: 27-40 hp Torque: 89 lb-ft Transmission: Single-speed automatic Est. Fuel Consumption L/100 km (city/hwy): None Competition: Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi EV, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius PHEV

Comments