By: Greg Kable on 8/16/2011
Mercedes-Benz has revealed a heavily revised version of the Smart Fortwo plug-in electric car, with a debut planned for the Frankfurt motor show in September.
The new Fortwo electric drive gets a new powertrain--a more powerful Bosch brushless electric motor and a higher-capacity lithium-ion battery pack.
The new motor has peak power of 73 hp, a gain of 33 hp from the current version of the car, with nominal output up 20 hp, to 47 hp. The motor's torque rating is 96 lb-ft.
The new powertrain propels the rear-drive two-seater from 0 to 37 mph in 5.0 seconds--1.5 seconds faster than the current car. The run from 0 to 62 mph takes less than 13 seconds. Top speed is now rated at 75 mph, up from 62 mph in the current car.
The Tesla-supplied battery in the current car is replaced by a 17.6-kilowatt-hour unit from German-based Deutsche Accumotive in the new version. Accumotive is a joint venture between Mercedes parent company Daimler and German alternative-energy specialist Evonik.
The new battery pack adds 16 miles to the car's range, taking it to 87 miles. Mercedes says that the battery can recharge in eight hours on a standard European wall socket or in less than an hour with the onboard 22-kilowatt high-capacity charger.
Mercedes plans to sell the new Smart Fortwo electric drive in up to 30 markets worldwide. The company plans to boost production to more than 10,000 units. It limited production of the current car to 2,000 units.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110816/FRANKFURT/110819923#ixzz1VCu15Awp
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