To be frank, the Smart ForTwo makes a lot of sense as an electric vehicle. The petrol-powered model is compact, relatively agile and already spends much of its time in the city. So, it’s only logical for the Daimler-backed automaker to take it the EV route.
What you’re looking at is the Smart Electric Drive ForTwo, and it doesn’t stray too far from the standard microcar’s styling.
And, just like the petrol version, it will be available as a hardtop or a cabriolet. The ForFour model also gains an EV powertrain, but the ForTwo is arguably better suited to electrification.
With the reveal of this model, Smart says that its model range is the only one in the world that can be specced with either a petrol or electric powertrain. Furthermore, it boasts that the cabrio model is the only open-roof EV currently on the market (the Tesla Roadster, of course, went out of production back in 2012).
The EV models use a 17,6 kWh battery, which Smart says can be charged in as little as 45 minutes with the optional fast-charger, providing a claimed range of 160 km. Regenerative braking is also included.
The Electric Drive ForTwo delivers 60 kW and 160 N.m, which makes it good for a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 11,4 seconds and a top speed of 130 km/h.
The first models will go on sale in the United States before the end of the year, before the range rolls out to other parts of the world early in 2017.
