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Part 5 of the five-part series on the electrification of mobility at Mercedes-Benz
View of the smart ED
Annette Winkler, the boss at smart, never tires of emphasizing that the smart was conceived, designed and planned for purely electric operation from the start. But we weren't quite there yet with the mass market. The smart was first used in a test fleet in London in 2007 as an “ED” electric drive. However, it still took a while before the first smart ED was available to buy from smart dealers. smart will present the latest generation of the “electric city car” at the Paris Motor Show. We provide an initial outlook.
The smart alternative?
As a convertible, as a coupé and as a four-seater in the smart forfour - when the new smart ED comes onto the market, it will not miss any variant. The city runabout will then offer an electrical alternative for every need.
Topless electrical
Fresh air fans will have to take a look at the smart ED as a convertible. Let the wind blow silently through your hair while you cruise through the big city. Annette Winkler promises a particularly intense experience of the new “topless” and “zero emissions” smart.
6.95 meter turning circle, the electric table saw?
With its perfect turning circle of 6.95 meters, the smart fortwo is the ideal city car solution. The electric variant will also completely eliminate local emissions and therefore bring the torque fun of the potent electric motor into play. The eWe were able to do electrical smart ED in 2013 in New York already driving and the verdict was clear at the time: Electrically, the smart is the best smart you can buy. The electric drive is the only logical solution for a city car.
US first
The smart ED, powered by an electric motor from France, will celebrate its world premiere in Paris and will then be delivered in the USA later this year. The decision to launch the new SMART ED first in the United States was probably due to the success of the electrical variants in the land of unlimited possibilities. German customers will then receive the new smart ED at the beginning of 2017. The two and four-seaters will be available at the same time.
Shorter loading times
The success and acceptance of electric vehicles also depends to a large extent on their charging times, even for city vehicles. The shorter the better. Since Mercedes-Benz itself wants to support the CCS standard, the new smart ED could be the first group vehicle with charging plugs in accordance with the CCS standard.
Read even more about E-strategy at Mercedes-Benz:
[divider] [/divider]- Part 1 - The fuel cell SUV
- Part 2 - The 48-volt technology for classic drives
- Part 3 - The electric car platform from Mercedes-Benz
- Part 4 - Electromobility B2B in the city
- Part 5 - The new smart electric drive