Saturday, December 22, 2007

First Fully Electric Smart Fortwo Delivered To The UK

Coventry City Council took delivery of the first of 100 electric smart cars to be delivered as part of a UK-based market trial for the introduction of a fully electric version of the Smart Fortwo that will be dubbed “ed”. Coventry City Council will be using the electric smart within their fleet of pool vehicles. This facility allows employees to leave their cars at home when they travel to work, but to still have access to a vehicle for business journeys.

All of the 100 electric Fortwos destined for the UK will be made available on a lease arrangement to selected corporate customers. The Fortwo “ed” has an electric engine with an output of 30kW and it features a range of up to 70 miles (112 km). It can achieve a top speed of 60 mph (96 km/h) while it sprints (figure of speech…) from standstill to 30 mph (40 km/h) in 6.5 seconds. With, the smart ed is exempt from vehicle excise duty and congestion charge. -Continued

Dermot Kelly, Managing Director Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “This market trial is an important part of our commitment to sustainable mobility and the first car to be delivered is a significant milestone for smart and Mercedes-Benz Cars.”

Cllr Gary Ridley, Cabinet member for Climate Change, Housing and Sustainability said, "The Council is proud to be the first owner of the new electric smart and is glad to be part of the drive for new cleaner and greener technologies in cars. To make its running costs even greener, the electricity used to recharge the car is from renewable resources. As the biggest employer in the city, we should be leading by example and encouraging other businesses to think about their carbon footprint and their impact on their environment while carrying out their day to day activities."

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