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[Smart Car of America Forums] First Drive: 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive makes a lot of sense ...: When we plopped ourselves behind the steering wheel of the ForTwo Electric Drive, we expected a handshake from the executioner of everything we enjoy about driving, but what we got instead was an introduction to a car that felt just like our daily drivers in stop and go traffic. The sound of the engine was replaced with a similarly enthralling whine as the electric motor whisked us along and the cabin was considerably more quiet, but otherwise, it felt like the perfect evolution of the car.

[BrighterEnergy.org] Daimler to deploy 250 electric Smart cars in US cities this fall ...: “The smart fortwo electric drive is the ultimate statement on innovative automotive conservation and further defines the brand’s independent spirit,” said Jill Lajdziak, president of smart USA. “As the United States sets goals on CO2 reduction and oil independence, the smart fortwo electric drive enters the market at the right time and in the right place as the purist’s play in transportation electrification with a no compromise design.”

[Autosnewspaper.com] Initial Run: 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive creates the lot of ...: When we plopped ourselves at the back of a steering circle of a ForTwo Electric Drive, we approaching the handshake from the executioner of all we enjoy about pushing, though what we got instead was an key to a automobile which felt just similar to the daily drivers in stop as well as go trade. The sound of the engine was transposed with the likewise fascinating bemoan as a electric motor whisked us along as well as the cabin was extremely some-more still, though differently, it felt similar to a undiluted evolution of the automobile.

[Nanotechnology Manufacturing] Worldwide Nanotechnology Electric Vehicle (Ev) Market Shares ...: Less expensive lithium-ion batteries allow leveraging economies of scale and proliferation of devices into a wide range of applications. According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the study, “Economies of scale leverage the lithium-ion battery nanotechnology advances needed to make lithium-ion batteries competitive.

[EarthTechling] Daimler AG's Smart Car Debuts Electric U.S. Version | EarthTechling: smart USA said that the smart fortwo electric drive vehicles are, in fact, fully electric. They are powered by a 30 kW drive motor and 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, with the battery itself being capable of being recharged fully in less than eight hours using a 220-volt outlet.

[CanadianDriver] CanadianDriver » Green News » Electric Smart coming to Canada this ...: Following a successful launch in Europe, the new Smart Fortwo Electric Drive will arrive in  Canada and the U.S. in the fall of 2010. The electrically-powered car has been rolling off production lines since November 2009, and due to demand, the initial production volume has been increased from 1,000 to 1,500 cars.

[CleanTechies Blog - CleanTechies.com] Smart Fortwo EV Road Trip | CleanTechies Blog - CleanTechies.com: Like its non-electric older sister, the electric Smart Fortwo is not a vehicle for the kids and the dog. Smart has shown its eagerness to take on the American consumer and describes its new EVs as the first European electric vehicles that are fully operational for everyday use.

[Earth2Tech] Smart Readies U.S. Electric Car Demo, Tesla Battery Tech Inside: This pilot program comes as part of Smart’s larger plans to roll out 1,500 electric Fortwo test vehicles in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, as well as parts of Asia — a project for which Daimler has tapped electric car startup Tesla Motors to supply battery technology.

[Green Car Reports] 2011 Smart Electric Drive: Mercedes Price, Maybach Exclusivity ...: Smart’s VP of business development, Derek Kaufman, estimated the vehicle’s residual at about $40k—close to a break-even price for the 1,500, he confessed, though it’s likely he wasn’t including all the costs associated with battery development.Mass production coming in 2012Both the exclusivity and the price are bound to change in 2012, when the automaker will begin ramping up mass production of the Electric Drive. Initially the batteries are being supplied by Tesla, but smart plans to use batteries made by parent company Daimler in the mass-produced version.

[Green Tech] Smart ForTwo electric minicar headed to U.S. cities | Green Tech ...: Unlike other electric vehicles, the ForTwo is going after a niche audience of sustainably minded people and business owners who want a car that stands out in a crowd. But the design of the ForTwo Electric Drive is significant beyond its initial target customer because it represents a product category--small, electric city cars--with large potential but also clear challenges related to infrastructure.

[Green Car Reports] Smart Drive App For iPhone: Who Needs COMAND or iDrive? - Green ...: Artist and song title info shows whether playing music from the iPod function or Internet radio.Chris Carde, senior systems manager at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development, based in California, says that because the application, which was more than a year in the making, was developed in-house at Mercedes-Benz, and directly involved Daimler engineers in Germany, it stands up to higher vehicle security and reliability considerations than any other mobile app.According to Carde, the interface went through some rigorous safety checks and uses a font much larger than what's used in other mobile applications so it would pass muster with Daimler's standards.The app was developed primarily for deployment in the U.S., as well as Germany, Italy, France, and the U.K.—all markets where the initial lot of 1,500 Smart Electric Drive cars will be leased, and markets where the iPhone was a relatively common smartphone. The app has already been released for those markets and will be out in Switzerland within a few weeks.A lot more than an EV charging appEven if you drive a Smart Fortwo, rather than the electric version, you'll soon be able to take advantage of kit and app for mapping, Internet radio, the car locator, and other features.There's already a set of charging-station locations shown in the application's map system, but as Smart gathers more information about charging stations available through energy companies, municipalities, and other initiatives, it's finding that there are often caveats regarding access to the stations.In the short term, the company hopes to add a real-time charging feature that would seek out the closest station that's currently accessible.

[The Car Blog] Daimler to deploy 250 electric Smart cars in US cities this fall ”¦: Motor manufacturer Daimler will launch its electric micro- car , the Smart ForTwo, in the United States this fall.

[Motor Trend Blog] Buzzing Around Brooklyn in the U.S.-Bound Smart Fortwo Electric ...: Kaufman is confident that during phase three, which will culminate in series production of the Smart ED in calendar year 2012 as a 2013 model, production will quickly reach "the five-figure range."  He also said interested customers will be able to both buy and lease Smart EDs at that point and he hopes every one of the 77 Smart USA dealers will have at least one on the lot for sale.

[Auto Analysis RSS | BNET Industries] Smart Wants to Revive Fortunes with Marketing, but Higher Gas ...: Smart, she said will need to retain its “cool factor” as it goes forward, which it can do with “laser-like” focus on “unique” marketing that “cuts through the clutter.” Part of this is what Lajdziak calls “guerrila marketing” -- instead of spending all the money on big media, the company will use social media and the Internet to get public attention, and take the cars to public events. “We’ll use digital to have a dialogue with intenders,” she said.

[The Car Connection] Driven: 2011 Smart Electric Drive - The Car Connection: With a jolt of electricity, the Smart Fortwo can become relevant—and refreshingly different.Further to the point, our surprising conclusion after a couple of hours behind the wheel of the new Smart Electric Drive is that, the Fortwo feels like a more appealing, fully realized package as an electric vehicle—more so than in its gasoline form.Putting electric drive in the little two-seat Fortwo seems like a no-brainer as it's well suited for dense urban areas or low-speed commutes. After all, the gasoline Fortwo never has been a lot of fun outside of those low-speed commute conditions.

[Auto Analysis RSS | BNET Industries] Smart Car is Smarter Than it Looks, At Least for Distributor Roger ...: That’s because Penske got Daimler, which also makes Mercedes-Benz and Maybach, to make most of the investment to introduce Smart to the United States in 2008. It takes many millions of dollars to get a car ready to pass U.S. safety and emissions standards, especially if it wasn’t designed from the ground up for sale in the United States.

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