Detroit Auto Show 2009: Smart Shows Electric Drive Fortwo
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 01.12.09
Very Nice, But Won't Be on Market for a While
smart had the new fortwo electric drive on display at the Detroit Auto Show 2009. "At the end of 2009, smart will begin producing the smart fortwo electric drive equipped with a lithium-ion battery." But people in the US probably shouldn't hold their breath, because our sources tell us in might take until 2010-2011, and even then, numbers might be low.
Read on for More.
According to Popular Mechanics (about the European version of the electric smart, which is the same as the one showed in Detroit):
Smart expects to have 100 of the battery cars in place in Berlin in the near future, and will continue growing the eMobility project to other urban areas over the coming months. According to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, the goal is to have 1000 of the EDs in operation around the world by the end of 2009.
The company says "it is exploring opportunities for the US market."
The li-ion batteries will probably be supplied by Tesla Motors, giving the electric drive smart car a range of up to 150 miles, which sounds good for an urban commuter. This might not be able for the US market in the eyes of Daimler, though... We'll have to see.
Trivia: It seems like since the Paris 2008 Auto Show, smart has stopped calling the electric drive smart the "ED", which in Anglophone markets is an acronym for "Erectile Dysfunction".
This last photo is of a promotional display outside of the Cobo convention center.
Photos: Michael Graham Richard
See also: 23 Electric Cars Driving the Revolution
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I hope the world's future doesn't depend on 100 or 1000 units of a small electric car being rolled out over the next two years.
I imagine much of the current fuss over electric cars is the result of high oil prices six months ago. Now that the price of oil has collapsed again, I wonder how many car manufacturers will quietly keep their EV projects in low gear, feeding tidbits of information to the press through auto shows and photo spreads, while not really building enough manufacturing capacity to make a dot of difference to the world?
And remember folks, they're still cars. They still use energy to operate (much of it from coal). They still use tons of energy to manufacture. They still cause congestion, require massive amounts of land set aside for roadways and parking.
Gotta run - here comes my bus!
I hope these cars are encouraged in the US, and it's a shame that these were discouraged by big oil and the car companies in the mid '90's (see documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car"). The averge commute is something like 24 miles, so a range of 150 miles is much, much more than adequate for most people. So wake up, Crysler, Ford, GM and for that matter the US goverment (we're still waiting for the "Volt") the time is NOW - not years from now.