SMART IS PLUGGED IN FOR THE CITY
THERE'S very little wrong with the smart fortwo electric drive. It's perky, gets decent range and feels perfect for the city. And this is the most affordable all-electric car yet offered to UK customers.
How does the thought of 0-60 in 4.8 seconds grab you? Okay, it's 60km/h but it's still respectably quick. 0-60mph takes 11.5 seconds, and it's certainly brisk enough to be able to sidestep the brake pedal and catapult the little fortwo off the line. That it does so without anything in the way of engine noise is even more impressive, the merest whirr of the 54kW electric motor accompanying a scarcely perceptible whine from the one-speed transmission.
It's all very serene and makes city driving rather stress free. On the highway, you can theoretically reach a 78mph maximum, but this does rather chew the battery's range which, when driven a bit more sedately, can be eked out to over 90 miles.
Charging from empty takes just over seven hours from an ordinary household socket – or around six hours if charging at a permanently installed 400v wallbox or public charging station.
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It is possible to optionally equip the vehicle with a quick-charging function. The 22kW on-board charger enables a completely empty battery to be fully charged in around an hour. A separate power cable is needed to connect the vehicle to a public quick-charging station or a fast charge wallbox at home or work. The 220-litre boot might be a problem if, like me, you're incapable of travelling light. The cabin offers a decent amount of room for two. There are two main options when buying this car in either Coupé or Cabrio form. Either you buy the car with its battery outright or you opt for what smart calls "Sale & Care" which involves you leasing the battery for £55 a month for your period of ownership.
Buying outright is Slightly more cost-effective as the higher asking price gets you the benefit of the full £5,000 government PiCG Plug-in car Grant that this model is entitled to.
The bottom line here is that for an outlay of around £15,000 for, say, three years of motoring, you can get yourself on the electric vehicle bandwagon. And from there, the savings just keep coming. So there are no road tax charges to pay, no congestion charges, no bridge tolls, very low maintenance costs, tiny company car tax levies and only the cost of your electricity to pay.
The smart fortwo electric drive makes a lot of sense. Viable electric personal transport has at last arrived.
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