The most useable and affordable 2-seater electric car http://www.nwemail.co.uk/home/drive/fortwo-shows-electric-switch-is-smart-move-1.1044424?referrerPath=health/healthyliving Fortwo shows electric switch is Smart move by MARK SLACK 22 March 2013
LAST year I was one of the first journalists to drive Smart’s new electric Fortwo model ... Now it is available in the UK and has a number of distinct advantages over [other] electric cars we have seen to date. To begin with, the price of the Fortwo Electric Drive (with grants) starts from £12,275 and you can lease the batteries for £55 per month. With a range of 90 miles and the potential to fully charge it in just one hour, this is perhaps the first useable electric car. Compare it with the price of other electric cars and it is also the most affordable. Based on the Fortwo Passion, it comes with sat nav, air con, power windows and alloy wheels. A design package offers the car finished in white and lime green – thankfully not too much lime green – and adds, if you’ll excuse the pun, a smart look. With all electric or hybrid cars there’s a strange sensation when you don’t hear the normal engine sound on start up. In the Smart Electric Drive it is quiet all the time because, of course, there is no engine. It does, however, drive just like a normal car with decent acceleration and handling and with all the in-car gadgets you would expect. I took the car through the urban jungle of Milton Keynes and on a stretch of motorway and was very impressed with the way it drove. Inside, there is plenty of space for two occupants and the luggage area is surprisingly good too. There are drawbacks though. This might be, in my opinion, the most useable and affordable electric car but it does only take two people. That tempting entry price to electric motoring also belies the fact there are a number of add-on extras buyers may consider essential. For example, the optional 22kW onboard charger to allow a full charge in about one hour is £2,650. Even then you have to use a boosted wallbox or public recharge point. To be fair, you do get both the domestic and public charging cables included in the price of the car. On balance, Smart has done an excellent job of making the electric car useable, affordable and, above all, appealing. As an urban or medium-use car, the Fortwo electric has real potential and unusually for such cars, style too. [© nwemail.co.uk ] For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: Boosted Boards is building the world’s lightest EV EVLN: Real Leaf Electric experience EVLN: Electric cars are the next big thing in Spain EVLN: £13,650+ New ZOE EV buyers get a free charger r:90mi + EVLN: Tesla-S gets a third-row seat and now seats seven {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-12-275-Fortwo-shows-electric-switch-is-Smart-move-r-90mi-tp4662079.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
