Smart fortwo electric drive is going to be available in the USA and Canada starting this autumn. The electric vehicle, now at it’s second generation has lots of advantages on it’s side. The first generation of the smart fortwo electric drive has been operational since 2007 on the streets of London. The first version had a sodium-nickel-chloride battery and an electric motor capable of a power output of 20 kW. 
If the batteries of the first model needed temperatures between 280 and 320 degrees Celsius to operate, the second generation of the smart fortwo electric drive is powered by a lithium-ion battery operating at normal temperatures, which makes possible cold starts at minus 25 degrees Celsius. This choice also allowed for the maximum range of the car to increase from 100 to 135 km.
The electric motor of the new smart model has also 20 kW of power but it can touch a peak power output of 30 kW, which is 50% more, for up to 2 minutes.
The space offered by the smart fortwo electric drive has not been compromised since the placement of the electric drive module has been carefully planned even from the start.
The electric motor is placed at the rear of the carand it allows an acceleration of just 6.5 seconds from 0 to 60 km/h, just as a petrol engine would do. The car can speed up to 100 km/h which is more than enough for a city car.
Since in normal city traffic conditions you would not need to drive more than 40 km per day, the battery could regain this energy if plugged to a 220 Volt socket in just 3 hours. An overnight recharge is sufficient for the battery to reach full capacity.
A definitely cool feature of the car is the pre air conditioning option which can bring the interior temperature in the car at your desired before you get in.
Since it is an electric car, smart fortwo electric drive has a battery indicator and an ammeter showing both the levels of consumed and recovered energy.
According to the manufacturer, the electric motor, the battery and the components of the electric drive system are maintenance free. The car also benefits from advanced electronics to take care of the battery, preventing it from overloading and keeping it in good shape.
Add this to the fact that, being a zero emission vehicle, the owner might get an important tax relief.
Overall, the smart fortwo electric drive is a perfect city car, easy to maneuver, easy to park, easy to recharge and easy to maintain. This definitely makes it a smart choice.
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