Smart For Two

Smart For Two

In our opinion green cars (electric cars, hybrid cars, alternative energy vehicles) are cars that are more energy efficient than your average car especially when the manufacturer has made a special and concerted effort to develop new approaches or new technologies. An efficient vehicle runs on less fuel which saves more of the world’s finite natural resources. And this, my friends, is good for the environment.

Zytech

The Smart ForTwo was created by a company called Zytek in the United Kingdom.

-The image to the left represents the Electric Smart Car EV. “The Electric drive train is being built for Smart by Zytek Electric Vehicles and the performance figures are impressive with a top speed of 70mph and a maximum range of 72 miles. Peak torque figures are 120Nm and power output is 30kW or 40bhp. The entire drive unit including inverter, gearbox and control electronics weighs a mere 70 kg. Photo is by Tim Kennington.

Recharging the battery requires 15 KWh and the cost of this can be as low as 85 pence if carried out on cheaper overnight electricity rates. Whilst a complete charge can take up to 8 hours, Smart state that the time taken to go from 30% to 80% capacity is 3.5 hours.

As with all electrically powered cars the Smart EV is London congestion charge free.”

Source for this caption: www.myhybridcar.net/electric-cars.html

Zytek is a specialist in electric car manufacturing. This car comes with sodium nickel chloride batteries and these batteries are really pricey. This car is still not available in the market today. The Smart ForTwo ED is available to a few select businesses on a lease only basis.


Smart For Two / Smart Coupe

This car was originally called the Smart Coupe and developed using a Smart City car the Smart ForTwo has a genuinely significant advantage over electric quadricycles who are rivals for this niche. It has carlike dynamics that its competitors in the electric car manufacturing business can only fantasize about.

The ForTwo has a ventilation system that actually works. Safety features include electronic stability control called ESP which monitors the angle and direction of the traveling vehicle and the angle of the steering wheel to monitor and assess stability. If the system detects any indications that the car is skidding or yawing it then cuts the throttle and applies braking pressure where needed.  Two front airbags are standard on all models.


Smart For Two / The Battery

When the battery is fully charged the ForTwo has a range of 70 miles and can go there at a top speed of 72 miles per hour. It has respectable acceleration hitting 37 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds. These figures are all superior to all its competitors. 


In Good Company

The quality of the ForTwo is in an entirely different league from all its other competitors whose models feel cheaply built.

-The image to the left represents the Smart ForTwo utilized by the Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sheriff's Office. Photo is by Plane Photoman.-

The interior of the ForTwo shows the large expenses by Mercedes-Benz, its parent company. However compared to some gasoline powered alternatives quality seems to slip by comparison. Cheap plastic becomes the dominant theme.


Smart For You?

The electric motor develops 74 horsepower and taking off from standstill is generally no problem with the acceleration boosting the ForTwo to 37 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds. The ForTwo can keep up with most of the traffic cruising at 30 miles per hour comfortably and even cruising at 60 mph hour at the expense of battery life. A gearbox that seems to be effectively locked at second gear helps the power plant immensely. This is essentially a single speed gearbox which effectively gets rid of the delays in changing gears in the regular gas and diesel Smart model.

Sources

http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_news061110_2009_smart_fortwo/index.html
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Smart_ForTwo/

For more information on hybrid cars follow these links:

What is a Hybrid Car

Who Makes Hybrid Cars

Who Makes Electric Cars

Flex Fuel Vehicles

Top Green Cars

Honda Insight Reviews

GEM Electric Car

ZENN Electric Car

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

GMC Savana Van

Hummer H3 Reviews

BMW Hydrogen 7

Alternative Energy Vehicles/More You Need to Know


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