SMART Electric ForTwo @ 2008 Paris Auto Show

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www.insideline.com

HAMBACH, France — The electrically powered Smart Fortwo has been delayed because of issues with the battery supplier, Cobasys of southeastern Michigan. Development had progressed to the point that Inside Line has taken the electric-drive Smart out for test-drives in such disparate locales as London, Silicon Valley and Seville, Spain, but it looks as though the mass-market version is still some way off. The Smart Fortwo with Electric Drive is slated to be shown in production trim at the 2008 Paris Auto Show next month.

The lithium-ion-equipped Fortwo EV has been optimistically planned for the end of 2009. However, Klaus Badenhausen, Smart chief engineer, told Inside Line that the supplier problems have made it difficult for the company to move ahead with lithium-ion development. The current sodium nickel-hydride battery pack of the plug-in Fortwo has been pleasing lease customers around London on a limited test basis since late 2006.

Cobasys is in the midst of determining whether or not it will stay solvent, while its owner, CSC, is reportedly actively seeking to sell off the entire business. This drama has resulted in an indefinite hold being placed on the Daimler lithium-ion battery development.

Daimler President and CEO Dieter Zetsche told IL, "The recent developments with our lithium-ion partners have Daimler looking actively into various Plan Bs." While no specifics were given, Badenhausen told IL, "You can imagine, if you like, that we are continuing our own development within Daimler."

Whether the Smart Fortwo with Electric Drive actually can hit the market by late 2009 remains as elusive a bet as the Chevy Volt and other lithium-ion projects arriving on schedule.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• SMART
• Electric
• ForTwo
• 2008
• Paris
• Auto
• Show
• Daimler
• Mercedes
• Edmunds
• Inside
• Line
• alternative
• fuel
• car
• motor

[5botball]

Well they better do something not just Talk

[smartcarfor2]

How is it that for 20 years it always comes down to the freaking batteries. All the science in the world and a battery is the hold up?

[smartcarfor2]

@Moviechaser Ever heard of renewable wind and current turbines... what are you referring to moviechaser?

[smartcarfor2]

@joaquinveyron I did not say you were French, I said you were from France, at least you set up your YouTube account to say so. Who cares about if your English would be better or worse if you were from France or French. Are you implying that the French can not master English? Interesting lead to show the growing Diesel market in the US. Mercedes just invested over $200 Million in the Detroit Diesel manufacturing plant to produce diesel engines in the USA. Your theories on E-cars is flawed.

[smartcarfor2]

@joaquinveyron the smart is NOT available i the USA. It is in Canada but the EPA has NOT cleared the smart diesel for the US market. There is a growing market for diesels in the US. In time they will be as common here as in Europe.

[joaquinveyron]

@smartcarfor2 First of all, I am not French, but actually give a shit about it, because this wouldn t matter anyhow. (Would my English be this good, if I were French, btw?). The world is putting "its head of the clouds" and a lot of efforts is done - at least in Europe - to develop new technologies. But many of them are not good neither in economic nor - and more importantly - in ecological terms. And to say that E-cars are good only bcs gasoline cars are emitting CO2 is simply extremely stupid.

[joaquinveyron]

@smartcarfor2 The smart is available as diesel in the US, but there is no market for diesels in the US.

[smartcarfor2]

@joaquinveyron How do I decide that an electric vehicle is more efficient that any fossil fuel powered vehicle? Because if ... yes I said "if", the world ever got its head out of the clouds and put real effort into capturing the free energy that is provided by the sun, the winds, the ocean currents... we would free ourselfs from the damage we cause every single day. Since this is a battle that can rage on for ever, I digress. Enjoy your 'efficient" gas powered car, it's your choice.

[smartcarfor2]

@joaquinveyron ... When you plant theories about the efficiencies of internal combustion engines to battery powered vehicles, its like comparing the core of the earth to the sun, both very hot but both very different. Don't try to blast the comparative in an evaluation of your theories. I won't bite. Don't presume all Americans are uneducated, you'd be wrong. Just know that the fossil fuel that we burn in our cars today is devastating, no matter how much you try to say how efficient it is

[smartcarfor2]

@joaquinveyron whats the beef with scientific comparisons with practical applications. I AM an American and you are from France. Funny, the car I drive is German engineering and build in a facility owned by Mercedes operated in where... France. So enjoy that. I've owned cars made by every American manufacturer, as well as having owned not one or two but 6 different VW's I've owned both gas and diesel powered cars and would own a diesel today if smart offered one in the US. ...

[joaquinveyron]

@shakaama "solar panels " ??? solar panels on the roof of a car may be good for powering the radio, but that's it.