This Smart is an EV, too. Power comes from its 55 kilowatt electric motor, producing 95 lb-ft of torque with a top speed of 75 miles per hour. To keep things green, the rechargeable motor also recharges those aforementioned ebikes.

Designers skipped adding a rear view mirror, instead trying out a camera with feed transmitted to complimentary smartphone mounted in the for-us dash.

Smart for-us makes its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, January 14th – 22nd.

Pics: LLN

The entire plan is the brainchild of Mercedes-Benz, now owner of the Smart franchise.

Smart will bring ‘ForFour’ (a four-seater based on the next ForTwo with rear-wheel drive / a rear mounted engine) to the United States in 2015.

But that’s not all; the ForTwo electric (pictured above) is getting a revamp, including updated lithium-ion batteries and flashy interior. A replacement for ForTwo is also due out in 2014. Finally, the Smart eBike will be available via online order or through select dealerships.

Source: WCF

Combining compact design and green energy, ForVision might be the first of its kind. The lightweight material used to construct the vehicle is matted to the transparent organic solar cells on its roof, which “generate enough energy to power the multimedia components even in poor lighting conditions.” These cells have organic light-emitting diodes that illuminate the vehicle’s interior when a door is ajar.

Other additions to the vehicle are all light in weight: plastic wheels (at 6.6 pounds), carbon-fiber reinforced resin doors, plastic seats (with lightweight cushioning) and infrared-reflecting film on the windows.

Source: WCF

Smart and Brabus have teamed up to create a new automotive concept. Teased in this video, the car is rumored to be a follow-up of the “ForFour” vehicle, and will possibly hit a top speed of around 150 mph.

Forspeed uses a 40-hp electric motor that sends power to the rear wheels. The driver may make use of a 7-hp boost that doesn’t exactly send the car flying, but helps it reach its 75 mph top speed. Meant for urban transit, the Forspeed travels up to 84 miles on a single charge.

It was showcased next to a new all-electric scooter and bicycle, items the Smart brand plans to sell next year. Defining characteristics, like over-sculpted body work, contrasting colors, and LED lighting are shared across the line. The new Smart fortwo and re-released forfour five-door should hit the market in 2014.

Smart’s leasing a fleet of 250 cars to individuals and corporate fleets as sort of a test run. Full vehicle production is slated for 2012, and pricing has yet to be announced.

“This is a groundbreaking day for smart in the United States,” Smart USA President Jill Lajdziak said in a statement. “We are extremely excited to add the smart fortwo electric drive to the smart product lineup, solidifying our position as a key player in transportation electrification.”

The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, developed with help from Tesla Motors, has a 40 horsepower electric motor and a 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery.

The battery pack is good for a claimed 98 miles on the LA4 test cycle, but the EPA pegs the real-world figure at 63 miles. It’s good to go in eight hours when plugged into a 220 volt socket. The pack is 80 percent “full” at 3.5 hours.

The Source: CNET

The Smart ForTwo LightShine is a different approach towards the popular ForTwo nameplate, currently available at dealerships globally.

Based on Smart’s coupe, the LightShine features “an exclusive matte green exterior with body-color bumpers, LED daytime running lights and unique ‘Pulse’ alloy wheels.” Inside, there’s navigation (with CD/DVD/SD functionality), a sporty steering wheel, and special floor mats.

Power for the Smart ForTwo LightShine is provided by an 800cc three-cylinder CDI engine that produces 54 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 16.8 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 84 miles per hour.

Source: WCF

SmartCar, Toyota, even Chevrolet are all getting into the electric car game. In response, hundreds of “Quick Charge” stations have been contracted or constructed across the United States & Canada – but there’s hardly any cars with all EV drives to use them.

AeroVironment is the company which introduces three levels of recharger stations for North America: Level I, II and of course III. The “level” of quick chargers depends on how many volts they produce.

While Level I “chargers” consist of a cord and a 120-volt household outlet and Level II chargers offer a little more juice from a 240-volt appliance outlet, the Department of Energy defines Level III chargers as permanently wired units rated at greater than 14.4 kilowatts… as it is explained by Wired.

AeroVironment’s Quick Charge stations were originally developed for the Nissan Leaf EV and Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV cars. But now with the Chevy Volt, SmartEV and Toyota Prius Plug-in finally ready to hit the production line, it seems Quick Charge will be a successful business. Now all they have to do is wait for all these (mostly) import EV’s to come over to the United States & Canada. Oh boy…

Penske Automotive has hired Jill to lead the team; she brings over 30 years experience including, but not limited to, the auto maker which brought back suicide doors on their S-Series Coupe, and we will always thanks her for it. According the Penske – “Ms. Lajdziak has a reputation for building brand awareness and customer loyalty through a focus on the customer experience and cultivating a strong dealer network. In this role, Ms. Lajdziak will lead the smart field sales organization, including directing all aspects of advertising, marketing and sales promotion for the smart brand, and will work directly with the smart dealer body to develop business opportunities.”

Penske Automotive is the exclusive distributor of the smart fortwo and related parts in the U.S. – supporting 79 smart retail centers throughout the country.

via The Oakland Press