Lifestyle

Smart just got smarter

The new smart electric drive makes opting into electric mobility more attractive than ever, combining overall agility with emission-free driving. And with its new generation, smart is the first car manufacturer ever to offer its entire model range with both combustion engines and pure batteryelectric drive worldwide

In recent years, smart cars have made a name for themselves as not only eco-friendly, but an ideal solution to urban mobility. Now, in a world-first move, the smart fortwo electric drive has been made available across the board on the new-generation smart platform, in both the smart fortwo coupe and cabrio models and, for the first time, in the smart forfour. This isn’t the first time smart has made history. Smart first took on a pioneering role in the field of electric mobility in 2007 when 100 smart fortwo electric drives took to the roads of the British capital with great success. Demand since has exceeded all expectations. By 2013 the smart fortwo became the first all-electric vehicle from a European importer in China, while in Germany, the electric smart established itself as the market leader among batteryelectric vehicles within a very short space of time, with a market share of around 40% for three years in a row.

Handling
So what is the new smart car like? The driving characteristics are as agile and lively as ever. The ultrasmall turning circle also contributes to this, and at 22.8 feet for the two-seater it corresponds precisely to that of its sibling with conventional drive.

Charging
Charging time is an important factor for electric vehicle customers and the new smart electric drive also boasts major improvements here. All models have a new, powerful on-board charger as a standard feature. In the US, charging time is an estimated 2.5 hours – twice as fast as the predecessor.

Power
The smart fortwo electric drive models are series produced at smart’s Hambach plant, and equipped with a battery from the Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE. who have been building the electric heart of the smart electric drive since 2012. An 80 hp electric motor is situated at the rear of the smart electric drive and transmits its power via a constant ratio to the wheels. Powerful torque of 118 lb-ft is immediately available from a standstill, a 23% increase over the 96 lb-ft offered by the previous generation smart ED.

Range
The electric drive has a range of approximately 70-80 miles – ideal for emission-free mobility in urban areas. The maximum speed is electronically limited to 81mph to maximize the range, but thanks to the power characteristics of the electric motor, the smart needs just one single fixed gear ratio. There is no need for any gear changing – a major advantage in dense city traffic. To reverse, the engine’s direction of rotation changes.

More eco than ever
In addition to the basic transmission mode, the driver can select ECO mode, which is designed for a particularly efficient driving style. In overrun mode or when braking, the vehicle’s kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy. To save energy and extend the range, the smart electric drive also features pre-entry climate control, which enables the desired temperature to be reached in the interior while the vehicle is still charging at a socket. With the newly improved ‘smart control’ app, electric drive information can also be called up via smartphone, tablet or PC and functions such as pre-entry climate control or intelligent charging can be conveniently controlled remotely. Smart indeed!

KEY FEATURES AT A GLANCE

• smart is the only car manufacturer worldwide to offer its entire model range with both combustion engines and pure battery-electric drive.
• The smart fortwo cabrio ED is the only electric cabriolet on the market.
• With 118 lb-ft torque and 80 hp, the electric car boasts exceedingly agile acceleration.
• The fully charged battery has sufficient power to cover between approximately 70-80 miles, more than enough in urban areas for which the smart was tailormade.
• With the highperformance on-board charger, the smart electric drive can be charged in half the time as before (new generation charge time: 2.5 hours / previous generation charge time: 5.5 hours)

smart are represented in Peterborough at Robinsons Mercedes-Benz dealership, offering the very best smart cars as well as a range of aftersales services, parts and accessories.

MERCEDES-BENZ OF PETERBOROUGH Club Way, Cygnet Park, Peterborough PE7 8JA. 01733 294900 www.mercedes-benzofpeterborough.co.uk

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