Smart has been field testing a fleet of battery-powered ForTwo ED models in Britain for several months. Now Auto Motor und Sport out of Germany is reporting that an updated version could begin testing in the U.S. as early as 2009. The current model uses high temperature sodium-nickel-chloride Zebra batteries. The new generation will switch to a lithium ion pack and could be tested in the Los Angeles area. There are no specs available at the moment, but Smart's Anders Jensen has said that if the testing provides positive results the car could move to production quickly. Given the relatively disappointing fuel economy of the gasoline-powered version of the ForTwo, an electric drive model could prove quite popular. The layout of the Smart makes it amenable to alternative drivetrains, with a battery pack able to slide under the double floor and an electric motor easily replacing the internal combustion engine.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]

We can think of a few electric cars which have gotten less-than-stellar reviews, probably deservedly so. The first reviewer that we know of to tackle the smart ED, though, was rather in favor of the diminutive electric machine, enjoying the 60 mile-per-hour top speed and 72-mile range. Top Gear, though, was less than impressed, citing a distinct lack of range and suggesting that "the Smart looks less appealing than a bike." Granted, smart thinks that the review unit provided to Top Gear must have had some ailments, but perhaps the system still has some growing-pains to overcome before it's truly ready for the mainstream market. It's likely that the Zebra battery would be replaced with lithium ion's in any real production version, in any case. Still, we remain wanting to get a crack at the smart ED ourselves. Thanks for the tip, Forrest!

[Source: Top Gear]

Thanks to tipster Adam, we've read the first review of the smart ed, and now we wish even more that we could buy one for ourselves. If you've never heard of ed, as we like to call it, smart's U.K. operations has made available an electric version of the diminutive microcar to companies willing to power it using electricity generated only from renewable means. So far, the general public is unable to purchase ed, no matter where they live. This is a real shame, because it sounds like ed's a perfect little electric city runabout. Being able to reach 60 miles per hour and travel for 72 miles in between charging in a near-silent and completely non-polluting - not to mention safe - car really does sound smart.

Ed uses a sodium-nickel chloride battery along with a Zytek electric motor and is able to hit 30 miles per hour from a dead stop in 6.5 seconds. Not bad for a city car! Also, that 60 mile per hour top speed is electronically limited, so there could be enough power for highway travel, depending on how long the stretch of roadway is. In short, the smart ed is a real car, one that just happens to be powered by electrons. We want.

[Source: Smart Planet, thanks Adam!]

Smart has released some technical details on a plug-in electric version of the tiny ForTwo. The car will use a 41hp electric motor driving the rear wheels just as the internal combustion version does. In an unusual choice for this diminutive machine, they have chosen to use a sodium-nickel-chloride (Zebra) battery. While these batteries have good capacity and are very stable, they operate at very high temperatures (250°C).

The electric Smart should be able to get to 37mph in 5.7s and max out at 70mph. A full charge should allow the driver to go about 72miles before plugging back in to a standard (in Europe) 230V outlet. Currently 100 examples of the electric Smart are being tested in Britain and no commercial plans have been confirmed. The Smart release is after the jump.

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]

Hybrid Technologies has decided to buy a little positive press in the form of George Clooney. Mr. Clooney already has one electric car, can't he share? I'd like to drive through Italy in almost anything, how about a Vespa? Oh well, nevermind. The aforementioned trip is set to coincide with Hybrid Technologies' release of their lithium powered SMART car for the European market. The car was recently seen on Regis and Kelly, if you are interested in the video, click here. The car also has been covered on CNN, and if you would like to see that, click here. Lastly, if you just can't seem to get enough Clooney, click here.

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[Source: Hybrid Technologies via Ecorazzi]