You need 220 volts to charge it. A full charge takes about 8 hours, and gives you a range of 135 kms. A three-hour charge will get you 40 kms, which is the daily amount city dwellers usually travel in their vehicles. We had a full charge.
Off we go, quietly and quickly
A German smart guy gave us the drill, which was basically turn the key and go. It’s ridiculously simple. I’ve spent more time acclimatizing myself in a luxury SUV.
My first impression is that electric drive actually made the smart better. I’ve never been a fan of the smart’s herky-jerky semi-automatic transmission. The electric smart doesn’t need one — just one single fixed gear running off the motor. It doesn’t shift, which makes it the perfect automatic.
And, as everyone now knows, an electric motor makes all of its torque available, from the first push of the go-faster pedal. This motor’s torque is rated at 120 Newton metres or 88.5 lb-ft. The smart can leap across an intersection from a dead stop like a sports car, and certainly faster than a petrol smart, (thought its 0 - 60 km/h time of 6.5 seconds is the same as a petrol smart).
The regenerative braking system will take some getting used to, but it’s certainly not as aggressive as the system on the electric Mini, which brakes the car the nano second you’re off the “gas.”
The electric motor is quite quiet. With the top down, the most prevalent noise coming into the cabin was the buzzing of the DC to AC converter. The buzzing is connected to speed, so goes up and down in pitch as you tool around.
If you stop on an incline, you’ll need to give it some “throttle” or use the handbrake. You don’t inch forward in Drive, like you would in a petrol car. It’s more like neutral — you can actually roll back when in Drive.
There isn't a “reverse” gear. When you select “reverse” you simply “reverse” the electric motor’s rotation direction.
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| Inside there are two “electric” gauges sitting high on the dash; one to tell you what percentage charge is your battery; the other to signal consumption rate. (Photo: Mike Goetz/Auto123.com) |
Off we go, quietly and quickly
A German smart guy gave us the drill, which was basically turn the key and go. It’s ridiculously simple. I’ve spent more time acclimatizing myself in a luxury SUV.
My first impression is that electric drive actually made the smart better. I’ve never been a fan of the smart’s herky-jerky semi-automatic transmission. The electric smart doesn’t need one — just one single fixed gear running off the motor. It doesn’t shift, which makes it the perfect automatic.
And, as everyone now knows, an electric motor makes all of its torque available, from the first push of the go-faster pedal. This motor’s torque is rated at 120 Newton metres or 88.5 lb-ft. The smart can leap across an intersection from a dead stop like a sports car, and certainly faster than a petrol smart, (thought its 0 - 60 km/h time of 6.5 seconds is the same as a petrol smart).
The regenerative braking system will take some getting used to, but it’s certainly not as aggressive as the system on the electric Mini, which brakes the car the nano second you’re off the “gas.”
The electric motor is quite quiet. With the top down, the most prevalent noise coming into the cabin was the buzzing of the DC to AC converter. The buzzing is connected to speed, so goes up and down in pitch as you tool around.
If you stop on an incline, you’ll need to give it some “throttle” or use the handbrake. You don’t inch forward in Drive, like you would in a petrol car. It’s more like neutral — you can actually roll back when in Drive.
There isn't a “reverse” gear. When you select “reverse” you simply “reverse” the electric motor’s rotation direction.
 |
| A full charge takes about 8 hours, and gives you a range of 135 kms. (Photo: Mike Goetz/Auto123.com) |