According to the Financial Times, Daimler plans to begin testing plug-in electric versions of its smart fortwo in London next month, and to produce them for retail customers by 2010.
The brand will begin delivering electric cars to about 100 customers in the UK capital in mid-December and plans similar pilots in two other European cities, Anders Jensen, head of the smart brand team, told the Financial Times on Wednesday [November 21, 2007].
The test cars will be leased to mostly corporate and public-sector buyers – including the London police – for a pilot-test period of four years, Mr Jensen said.
New Car Net (UK) says Daimler’s smart EV is almost identical to the regular two-seater fortwo, except it uses an electric drivetrain and charges from the mains. The car has a 30kW output and a top speed of 70 mph, with a recharging time of approximately 3-and-a-half hours. It offers 0-30 mph in 6.5 seconds.
The current smart EV has a range of 72 miles and uses conventional NiMH batteries, although Daimler engineers are working hard to produce usable Lithium-ion versions.
