smart continues its mobility concept further: market launch for the smart escooter in 2014

PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart – smart will launch the escooter on the market in 2014. For smart, this is the next logical step in implementing its comprehensive concept for future urban mobility.

"The decision in favor of the escooter has been made," announced Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, on the sidelines of the international dealer meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future," he added.

Back in 2010, smart unveiled a comprehensive portfolio of electric products for urban transport at the Paris Motor Show. In addition to the smart fortwo electric drive as a coupé and a convertible, it includes the smart ebike and the escooter. smart is now consistently turning this concept into reality: the smart fortwo electric drive will be launched on the market in summer 2012, and delivery to customers of the first ebikes is just beginning. The fully electric escooter will be premiered within the next two years. The design of the escooter study is being developed and refined further. With its many innovative and trendsetting features, the new product will be unmistakably a genuine smart. Just like the ebike, the escooter will also be available for customers who (as yet) have no driver's license for cars as a smart on two wheels.

"Anyone who thinks of urban mobility has to think of smart," says Dr. Annette Winkler, the head of smart. "We offer the perfect zero-emissions vehicle for every requirement, and with our products, electric travel is a lot of fun too."

A number of external studies and the awards that the brand has recently won illustrate how much the ideas from smart are in tune with today's demands for individual urban mobility.
"We are especially proud that the ebike received the red dot award, and that our comprehensive mobility concept won the 2012 iF product design award," Dr. Winkler added.

The judging panel for the red dot awards gave the coveted "best of the best" predicate to the series production version of the 2012 smart ebike. This year, the iF product design award, which has been internationally recognised since 1953, singled out the smart mobility concept, consisting of the smart electric drive, the smart ebike, and the smart escooter, as an excellent overall concept for urban mobility.

Introducing the Smart eBike

Going electric makes a lot of sense for the smallest city-commute vehicles—like the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, which is still on the way. But in the meantime, it looks like a different Smart electric vehicle will arrive first: the Smart eBike.
The Smart eBike is a bicycle, but an electrically boosted, hybridized bicycle at that. With a 200-watt electric motor system, fed by a 423-Whr lithium-ion battery, and four different power levels, it aims to get more people out of their cars and taking on hills or longer distances than they might in a standard bicycle.
Built on the basis of what's essentially a long, stable three-speed city-touring bicycle—I own a vintage three-speed Raleigh, among several other road/racing bikes, and the proportions actually felt closest to that—the eBike has the foundation to make even people who aren't used to a bicycle comfortable right off the bat. And instead of a conventional bike chain, the Smart ebike uses a no-oil carbon drive belt, so you won't get oil stains at the bottom of your pantlegs.
There's no throttle grip, as in a scooter or motorcycle. As long as you're exerting the slightest bit of forward pedaling motion, the motor system engages, assisting with just a bit of boost, or essentially in its highest-boost mode, propelling you along at a much faster speed than you might otherwise have ridden.
Along with those basics, there's an LCD control center of sorts in the middle of the handlebars that shows you speed and charge remaining, and lets you adjust the boost level. On a small harbor street in France, we were able to pedal along quite easily as you pass 25 km/h (15 mph), in the highest boost level. The disc brakes were also very strong. And lock and key are included.
The trouble that we experienced is that when you go 'faster' than a particular boost setting, the powertrain actually seems to add resistance to your ride—more than if you could just be pedaling a normal bike—so if you're an experienced/fast bicyclist then this isn't a great solution. The drive system can recover some energy as you pedal, but we're not clear (neither were company reps) on how you can adjust/monitor/control that separately from the assist levels.
There's also a USB interface for a tablet-based navigation system, smartphone integration, and accessories like a saddlebag available. Smart says that the bike can go about 62 miles on a charge in its lowest-boost setting—but again, at that rate you'll be moving very slowly. Figure on about 15 miles at that highest-boost setting. And it fully charges on a household plug (we're assuming 110V is nearly as quick) overnight.
The price tag for the Smart eBike—which is being delivered now in Europe and might arrive in the U.S. as soon as late this summer, through Smart dealerships—is a little shocking: 2,849 euros, or about $3,700. But because it has pedals, Smart says, you don't need a driving license or insurance.
That's still a pretty steep price for supplemental pedal power—especially considering that for the same budget, you could get a used NEV like a GEM or Zap, or a fleet of Huffys.
Better invest in one heck of a bike lock.

 Source: Green Car Reports

Smart ForFour (2013)

CAR GARAGE | Smart ForFour (2013) | The Smart brand launched in 1998 with the iconic City Coupe, later named ForTwo. The ForFour and Roadster were intended to broaden Smart's Euro-market appeal and turn the company's ledger from red ink to black. (Daimler execs evidently blanched at the idea of American-Benz dealers selling teensy two-passenger mini cars alongside grand S-Class sedans.) Helped by solid U.S. ForTwo sales initially (starting with model-year '08), Smart finally made a small profit, prompting new ideas for additional models to extend the brand's market reach. Assuming Auto car is right, however, the 2013 Smart ForFour would be a front-wheel-drive subcompact of more-conventional design than the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive ForTwo.

The original styling cues ForFour Borrowed from the ForTwo, Including Smart's Tridion Safety Cell, an exposed steel "exoskeleton" - finished in black or silver - and plastic body panels in matching or contrasting colors. (We remember photos of one "rainbow" car with each panel a different color.) The 2013 Smart ForFour Might update this basic look, assuming the visuals can be adapted to the Twingo's orthodox uni body. If nothing else, the new ForFour should cost less to build than the old one (which, Incidentally, was based on the contemporary Euro-market Mitsubishi Colt hatchback, since redesigned).

Informed Speculation must also suffice on the rest of the car, but the US-market 2013 Smart ForFour will almost surely include 15 - or 16-inch wheels, power windows and mirrors, remote power door locks, a sunroof, air conditioning, a fold -flat front-passenger seat, fold-down rear seats, lift gate wiper / washer, a good-quality stereo music-player with plug-ins, and cabin materials somewhat above par for our estimated base price of just under $ 20,000. Ditto heated seats, a navigation system with a wireless cell-phone link, and a slew of "personal-styling" features like Those available for BMW's money-making Mini models.

Though the 2013 Smart ForFour has yet to get the green light, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has said "Certainly it would not hurt" for Smart to have a second models with higher sales potential than the ForTwo. One seems a sure thing: The 2013 Smart ForFour will be critical to the brand's future. After all, Daimler has already lost tons of money on Smart and is loath to lose more now, so the ForFour sales must be a solid hit for the brand to stay in business. With all this, the 2013 Smart ForFour will need to be something special to have a shot at decent sales. For one thing, it does not shape up as a great dollar value Among subcompact cars, due to its Euro-zone and a probable origins Mini-style marketing emphasis on profit-boosting options.

Smart fortwo (2013)

CAR GARAGE | Smart fortwo (2013) | The smart fortwo substantially revamped sports a markedly more dynamic appearance, featuring a larger integrated radiator grille with logo, front aprons in a striking new design, horizontally arranged LED daytime driving lights, side skirts and modified muscular rear aprons. "The way in the which the fortwo now displays the smart logo more prominently stands for the brand's new self-confidence," notes smart boss Dr. Annette Winkler. The water inlets under the number plates have been combined into a single unit, the smart fortwo lending a bolder appearance.

There is also a choice of three new alloy wheels: the smart fortwo passion comes with a new 9-spoke alloy wheels; two additional alloy wheels fitted with wide tires and featuring a 3-spoke and 3-twin-spoke design round off the respectively ranges. The smart fortwo Brabus Xclusive is now also optionally available in white. In Addition to the three colors for the soft top cabrio smart Previously the which were available from the smart program (black, red, blue), the smart Brabus tailor made program offers six other soft top colors.

pulse and passion highlight the frame of the front grille and the rear trim strip in silver, for example, while the front spoiler, side skirts and rear apron are painted in the car's exterior color. The door mirror caps are finished in the tradition color. On the smart pure, these components are black. The five lines - pure, pulse, passion, Brabus and Brabus Xclusive are to be retained. The spectrum ranges from the particularly environment-friendly electric power train in the fortwo electric drive and the efficient micro hybrid petrol through the powerful engine turbo petrol engine to the fuel-efficient turbo diesel CDI. Prices begin at € 10.275 for the smart fortwo 45 kW pure MHD. Over 2000 smart fortwos are currently in operation for 60.000 customers in seven cities around the globe.

Smart fortwo sharpred (2012)

CAR GARAGE | Smart fortwo sharpred (2012) | The smart fortwo is available as a sharped coupé (from € 14.490) and as a cabrio with a 52 kW petrol engine or a MHD 62 kW petrol engine. The exterior of the smart fortwo edition sharped is characterized by the striking contrast of elegant black and extravagant red - creating an effect like the red neon sign of an exclusive bar against a black night sky. The bright red paintwork of the tradition safety cell and door mirror housings catch the eye, whilst the rest of the exterior comes in black. The front apron and rear trim panels are grained and the side skirts Boast a high-gloss black finish.

The seats come in black leather and the instrument panel and knee pads have a black leather look. The smart fortwo special edition sharped is limited to 1800 vehicles. Electric power steering, heated seats, a lockable glove compartment, the smart sound system with five loudspeakers, the smart audio system navigation / multimedia equipment and further are optionally available.

Car2Go will add 100 Smart ForTwos to Vancouver fleet

PRESS RELEASE

car2go Canada Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, announced today it will expand its Vancouver, B.C. operations to meet the growing needs of its more than 10,000 members. Beginning in mid-April, 100 car2go edition smart fortwo cars will be added to the car2go carsharing network, the car2go Home Area will expand, and new car2go parking spots will be secured, including eight new spots on the University of British Columbia campus.

"The car2go program in Vancouver is growing exponentially," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go Canada Ltd. "In less than a year we have built up a network of more than 10,000 members who share our 225 smart fortwo cars daily. This is a great accomplishment for car2go, and it's a great representation that Vancouver residents have high levels of awareness and demand for smarter urban transportation solutions."

Cole went on to say: "We have listened to the needs of our members, and we are pleased to introduce additional cars, expand our Home Area, and add new dedicated parking spaces. This expansion will undoubtedly provide a new level of convenience and flexibility to the carsharing community in Vancouver."

Expanding the car2go Network
car2go launched in Vancouver in June 2011 with 225 cars, 2,000 members, and an average of 1,500 trips per week. Today there are more than 10,000 car2go members in Vancouver, and the number of trips per week has increased to more than 8,000. To meet the demands of this increased utilization, an additional 100 car2go edition smart fortwo cars will be added to the Vancouver network and will be available for members to use collaboratively, beginning in April.
Additionally, car2go will begin a pilot with several smart fortwo electric drive vehicles to determine further development of electric carsharing in Vancouver.

The New car2go Home Area
Beginning in mid-April, the car2go Home Area will extend beyond its existing boundaries, South to 49th and East to Renfrew. Members will be able to pick up and drop off car2go anywhere within this 70 square kilometer space. To see the new car2go operating area, please visit: car2govancouver.com/VancouverHomeArea.pdf

car2go members will continue to receive the benefit of free parking. Free curbside and dedicated parking spots are conveniently located throughout numerous specially marked locations in the car2go Home Area; and several additional car2go parking spots will soon be available for members to use. For the entire list of car2go parking spots, please visit: car2govancouver.com/VancouverDesignatedParking.pdf.

Each car2go vehicle is now equipped with a GPS system that includes all car2go parking spots as points of interest. Members can simply touch the icon on the screen and they will be provided with directions to the nearest dedicated parking spot.

Additionally, car2go has worked with the University of British Columbia to bring more flexible on-campus parking to students. car2go designated on-street parking will be available in select locations on the UBC Campus, starting April 1. The parking spots are located on campus directly across the street from the Northern Bus Loop and can accommodate up to eight car2go; and off campus at Wesbrook Village where an additional eight cars can be parked.
To stay up to date on all car2go news, please follow @car2goVancouver on Twitter or become a fan of www.facebook.com/car2go.Vancouver.

About car2go
A wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, car2go Canada Ltd., offers an innovative mobility solution redefining individual transportation in rapidly growing urban areas by offering a network of several hundred environment-friendly smart fortwo vehicles for rent. It provides an innovative mode of "on-demand" transportation, which complements existing public transportation alternatives by bridging the gaps commonly associated with the "first and last mile" of a public transit commute.

car2go is currently operational in nine cities: Austin, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego, California; Ulm, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Lyon, France; and Dusseldorf, Germany. In November 2011, car2go launched the world's largest all-electric vehicle carsharing network in the cities of San Diego, California, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the deployment of 300 car2go smart fortwo electric drive vehicles in each city. In March 2012, car2go will launch in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon; and in April 2012, car2go will launch in Berlin, Germany. Currently there are more than 70,000 car2go members worldwide.

The innovation and environmental sustainability of car2go has earned international acclaim: In February 2012, car2go was named the "Best Carshare of 2011" by the Vancouver Courier. In September 2010, car2go was recognized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce with the "2010 Greater Austin Business Award" for its positive impact on traffic in the city. The same month, car2go received the "Clean Tech Media Award" in the category of "Mobility" in Berlin. In May 2010, car2go was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with its prestigious "2010 EPA Clean Air Excellence Award." Further information on car2go is available at www.car2go.com and www.media.daimler.com/ms/car2go/e.

2012 Smart for-us Concept

CAR GARAGE | 2012 Smart for-us Concept | Now smart is Countering the "bigger is better" mentality with a surprising new vehicle: the smart for-us Concept is small, agile and does not need any petrol thanks to its electric drive. This model, the which builds on the smart for-speed and smart concepts for-vision Presented in 2011, Celebrates its world premiere at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Smart CEO Dr. Annette Winkler says "We at smart love pick-ups - if They are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable. With the smart for-us a petrol station is no longer required" smart the automotive world is turning upside down once again and challenging ideas about what an urban pickup should look like.

Thanks to the state-of-the-art electric drive with a 55 kW magneto-electric zero-emission motors the smart for-us is agile and lively to drive. Like car2go, the globally Successful car sharing initiative from smart for more flexibility in city traffic, the smart for-us is a mobility concept. Just like the smart fortwo, the which has enjoyed success around the world, it has Ample room for two people, but it also has space behind for two smart e bikes, the which Their batteries can charge on the cargo area during the journey.

There are two smart e bikes on board the smart for-us - perfect for local-emission-free city driving. High-quality components guarantee a dynamic, safe and fun cycling. The smart e bike also features state-of-the-art infotainment: a USB interface is a standard feature and enables Various mobile end devices to be connected.

Smart's high technological standards are manifested in the extremely efficient and high-performance drive package. As a "pedelec" (Pedal Electric Cycle) is the smart e bike Strictly speaking a hybrid: the electric motor - a maintenance-free and brush less rear-wheel hub motors from BionX - switches on as soon as the rider starts pedaling as with a normal bicycle.

The strengths of the e bike its agile performance include: the rider of the smart e bike decides how much power he wants the 250 watt electric motor to deliver to support his muscle power by pressing a button on the handlebar. There is a choice of four power levels with the fourth and highest level Providing maximum pushing power.

2013 Smart ForTwo facelift II

2013 Smart Fortwo Facelift II - According to rumors, the smart fortwo 2013 Facelift II reportedly will revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012. Unfortunately, the new view the two-passenger car is the same as the smart fortwo electric version of 2012.

More sporty-looking with a refresher on the front fascia which moves in the front grille emblem. Similarly, with a touch of new bumper design. On a new rear bumper with diffuser look bigger. Sporty appearance seen in the dual-muffler is at the center.

2013 Smart Fortwo II Facelift 'is available in a variant of Pure, Pulse, Passion, Brabus and Brabus Xclusive. 3-cylinder engine has 1.0-liter equipped with micro hybrid.

New Smart Fortwo Facelift II will be available with 1.0 three-cylinder engines from 71 hp and 84, plus the 800 diesel with 54 hp. At each end of the list come the MHD and Brabus, both equipped with the 1.0 petrol versions configured in 61 and 102 hp.

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Smart Fortwo Facelift II

Smart For-Us brings truckness to the urban jungle

The Smart team looked to none other than actor/comedian/SNL-alum Jon Lovitz to introduce its pickup truck concept. We're not sure what is stranger: the other J-Lo at an auto show press conference or a Smart with usable bed space.

The Smart For-Us concept features a 75-horsepower electric motor that twists up 98 pound-feet of torque. The battery is a 17.6 kW/h lithium ion battery pack, which is more juice than a Chevrolet Volt. Smart promises zero to 60 times in the range of five seconds and an 80 mph top speed, which isn't bad for a green machine with a bed. Smart claims that the battery pack can go from 20 percent charged to 80 percent in 3.5 hours, while a full juicing takes place in eight hours.

The For-Us boasts a smallish but undoubtedly handy 11.6 cubic feet of space. Smart no doubt isn't interested in going toe-to-toe with the likes of the F-150 and the Silverado, but it's still difficult to see such a concept model ever making its way to production.


Source: Autoblog Green

Three Axles = Extra Miles for Mini Electric Commuter Cars

Swiss manufacturer Rinspeed has a prototype all ready to go at the Geneva Motor Show next year – the Smart Dock+Go. The firm’s CEO Frank Rinderknecht usually shows up with some kind of new concept, and this year’s offering is a way to make a little city commuter even more practical.

More Room, More Range

The two-seater can be fitted with a dockable “backpack,” which rolls along on an additional single axle (does this mean the extra axle costs more at the toll booth?). The top of the backpack basically acts as extra storage space – for luggage, camping equipment, you name it.

Rinspeed uses the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive as the displayed base for the backpack prototype, as seen in the image below.

More Range, More Power

The Dock+Go isn’t just a glorified enclosed trailer, though. It’s also a new type of range extender. The “energy pack” includes a combustion engine with either batteries or fuel cells. The third axle backpack is then able to not only help propel its mini-car forward but also simultaneously recharge its electric batteries. The prototype is called a “vario-hybrid” (by Rinderknecht), the first of its kind, and it allegedly adds “significant” miles to the range of its mini-car.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Dock+Go is Rinspeed’s claim that it’s not just compatible with the Smart, but with any mini-car. A product like this addresses the limited-range issue with mini electric cars, and helps it approach the flexibility of a traditional car. The question is how well it really works.

Source: Gas2.0

Rinspeed Shows “Dock+Go” EV Extending Range Add-On Concept Ahead of the Geneva Salon

Rinspeed is a Swiss-based automobile manufacturer and tuning designer with a very vivid imagination. Although it produces “normal” tuning products like the 600HP Porsche 911 Turbo, it is projects like the James Bond-like submersible Lotus Elise or the BamBoo EV study that are its hallmark.

Now, the innovative design house is planning to launch a new “mobility concept” at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March. The “Dock+Go” is the brainchild of Frank M. Rinderknecht, who describes it as a docking “backpack on wheels”.

The idea behind its creation was born out of most electric vehicles’ problem: their restricted range. Although any EV can serve as a basis, Rinspeed chose the electric Smart ForTwo for displaying its solution.

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Rinspeed Shows “Dock+Go” EV Extending Range Add-On Concept Ahead of the Geneva Salon

Rinspeed is a Swiss-based automobile manufacturer and tuning designer with a very vivid imagination. Although it produces “normal” tuning products like the 600HP Porsche 911 Turbo, it is projects like the James Bond-like submersible Lotus Elise or the BamBoo EV study that are its hallmark.

Now, the innovative design house is planning to launch a new “mobility concept” at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March. The “Dock+Go” is the brainchild of Frank M. Rinderknecht, who describes it as a docking “backpack on wheels”.

The idea behind its creation was born out of most electric vehicles’ problem: their restricted range. Although any EV can serve as a basis, Rinspeed chose the electric Smart ForTwo for displaying its solution.

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Smart to Debut For-Us Small Pickup Concept at the Detroit Motor Show

One company that you would never think would consider building a pickup truck is Smart. Yet the Mercedes-Benz-owned maker of the ForTwo city car plans to present a small pickup truck-like concept named the For-Us at the coming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

“We at Smart love pickups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable," said Smart CEO, Annete Winkler. "With the Smart For-Us a petrol station is no longer required!”

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Smart to Debut For-Us Small Pickup Concept at the Detroit Motor Show

One company that you would never think would consider building a pickup truck is Smart. Yet the Mercedes-Benz-owned maker of the ForTwo city car plans to present a small pickup truck-like concept named the For-Us at the coming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

“We at Smart love pickups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable," said Smart CEO, Annete Winkler. "With the Smart For-Us a petrol station is no longer required!”

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