I understand Smart Electric Drives (ED) are not readily available in Britain, but they certainly are here in North America. The generation III version was released in late spring of 2013 all across Canada but most deliveries didn’t arrive until later that year (mine arrived in Nov. 2013 after a six-month wait). In the U.S. they can be found mostly in California, but that’s changing as more states come onboard. I suspect limited production capacity means Daimler is rolling out the market slowly. Despite this, the latest stats show the Smart is the 4th best selling BEV in the U.S., behind the Leaf, Tesla and BMW. U.S. sales (I don’t have Canadian figures) should reach 3,000 this year (not bad for a two-seater). More significantly, I’ve read that the ED makes up 20-25% of all of Smart’s sales in North America.
I’d be pleased to pass along my experience with the remarkable car if anyone’s interested, or to share with other Smart owners. Mine’s got 8,000 km on the clock to date and has been a total joy to drive. It’s not perfect, but it’s quick, very light, with a competitive range and a decent top speed on the highway. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better city vehicle. It’s also been trouble-free to date (fingers crossed), and I’ve driven it in every possible weather, including an unusually cold winter.
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I’d be pleased to pass along my experience with the remarkable car if anyone’s interested, or to share with other Smart owners. Mine’s got 8,000 km on the clock to date and has been a total joy to drive. It’s not perfect, but it’s quick, very light, with a competitive range and a decent top speed on the highway. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better city vehicle. It’s also been trouble-free to date (fingers crossed), and I’ve driven it in every possible weather, including an unusually cold winter.
