Smart EV Production Begins in France

Daimler AG has begun assembling third-generation versions of its Smart ForTwo electric city car at a plant in Hambach, France. The EV was publicly unveiled last autumn at the Frankfurt auto show.

Deliveries will begin in Germany in late summer and spread to more than 30 other markets, including North America, over the next year or so. The EV, including battery, has a base price in Germany of $29,600. Customers have the option of renting the battery for $81 per month and buying the rest of the car for $23,600.

Daimler says it spent $250 million to prepare the Hambach plant to build piston-powered and electric ForTwo models on the same production line. Earlier ForTwo EVs were produced in small numbers and used for fleet tests.

The new ForTwo EV is powered by a 17.6-kWh lithium-ion battery and a 55-kW electric motor supplied by Daimler's EM-motive venture with Robert Bosch GmbH. The previous-generation EV, which debuted in 2009, was propelled by a 30-kW motor and had a top speed of 62 mph. Daimler says the new model accelerates faster and can reach 75 mph.

The new Smart EV has a range of about 90 miles. The car can be recharged in eight hours using a standard 220-volt European outlet or in less than one hour using a higher-voltage quick-charge system.