by "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
Published 02/14/2017 at 08:40
by "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
Published 02/14/2017 at 08:40
Tags: smart
; Electric Vehicles
; fortwo
; mercedes bait
STARS: 6
Well, this is big. Looks like the gasoline-engine smart fortwo is going to be discontinued in North America in September, leaving only the electric drive model.
I’m guessing that sales must not have been sufficient on the gasoline engines (fuel economy of 31/39 for the manual, 33/39 for the DCT, on premium can’t have helped), but given smart’s intended market (urban environments where parking is scarce)... what about the charging infrastructure?
"boredalways" (boredalway666)
02/14/2017 at 08:51, STARS: 2
Shhhh, don’t tell Miss Mercedes.
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
02/14/2017 at 08:52, STARS: 2
thats pretty crappy MPGs for half a car. I get right about 30 in crap traffic with my Focus and I can carry 4 people.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/14/2017 at 08:54, STARS: 2
This seems like a bad, bad, bad idea. I see way more Smart Cars in my suburban area than I ever see in the city, and that 75 miles on a charge isn’t going to cut it for anyone outside of a city.
"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
02/14/2017 at 09:00, STARS: 1
This only makes her car more special, though!
"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
02/14/2017 at 09:00, STARS: 0
This only makes her car more special, though!
"boredalways" (boredalway666)
02/14/2017 at 09:07, STARS: 2
Rainbow is Double Rainbow again.
Damn you Kinja!
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/14/2017 at 09:07, STARS: 1
On the one hand, there’s definitely value to having a very small car in a city. On the other, I don’t know how they manage to have gas mileage that poor in a car that small.
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
02/14/2017 at 09:18, STARS: 0
This is interesting. Do you have a source for the info?
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/14/2017 at 09:25, STARS: 0
Damnit, I forgot to paste the link.
http://insideevs.com/smart-done-with-gas-cars-in-us-will-now-only-offer-electric-vehicles/
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
02/14/2017 at 09:29, STARS: 0
Thanks!
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/14/2017 at 09:32, STARS: 1
For the highway mileage, it’s the aerodynamics. It’s a tall car, and the shape doesn’t have room to taper to the rear, so there’s a lot of turbulence and resulting aerodynamic drag at the rear.
For the city mileage... the old model (with a single-clutch 5-speed automated box) got 34/38 with a 75 hp port injected 1.0 running on premium, whereas this one’s a 90 hp direct injected 0.9T running on premium. The turbocharging probably doesn’t help, and it’s not that light, either - 2050 to 2090 lbs.
For comparison with something with similar weight and power, a Mitsubishi Mirage with a 75 hp port injected 1.2 running on regular gets 33/41 with a 5-speed manual, 37/43 with a CVT. Base models are actually lighter than the fortwo, and the added length helps drag at high speeds.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/14/2017 at 09:40, STARS: 2
I think it’ll have plenty of range for even most suburban-to-city commutes, if employers offer charging at work - 95% of commuters travel less than 40 miles one-way to work, and the average is 13.6 miles: http://www.solarjourneyusa.com/EVdistanceAnalysis7.php
And, maybe that’s what Mercedes is seeing - nobody’s buying the gas engine cars, and suburbanites with garages are buying the electrics. My concern is in the urban areas, where a fortwo would be appealing for parking reasons, you’re going to be confined to places where you can find a J1772, and then you can have a full-size EV. (And, the fortwo ED still doesn’t support CCS (which at least would allow more of a gas station model, driving to a charger and then doing something at that charger while it charges), although in Europe, they support 22 kW 3-phase AC charging. My guess is that CCS will need to be added for the US market...)
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/14/2017 at 09:46, STARS: 0
My own commute is 35 miles one-way. At my work’s parking garage, we have about 12 EV chargers, but they’re all taken by the time I get in around 7:30–8:00, so in my case, at least, an electric Smart definitely wouldn’t be a feasible commuter car.
That’s a really good point about urban areas.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/14/2017 at 09:48, STARS: 0
Meh, I’ve gotten 45-60 mpg on the highway before. The EPA test cycle seems to cater to the majority of smart drivers, who will apparently be punching the throttle all the time. lol
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/14/2017 at 09:49, STARS: 1
It’s heavy and not aerodynamic. They were never designed to be economy cars. ;)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/14/2017 at 09:50, STARS: 1
I learned about it before going to bed last night. Wanted to wait a day before going into panic mode! lol
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
02/14/2017 at 09:57, STARS: 1
But then again, I’ve only ever driven one Smart, a Mk1 with the 700 cc turbo, and it did 54 (Imp) mpg. I’ve never done better in a car with spark plugs.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/14/2017 at 09:57, STARS: 0
Depending on how fast the other cars are charged, you may be able to swap your car in at lunch time, or something like that. But, yeah, that’s not ideal, and there’d really need to be more plugs - as many as one per space - for this to really work.
"Svart Smart, traded in his Smart" (svartsmart)
02/14/2017 at 10:03, STARS: 1
fuck fuck fuck. I really wanted to own a gasoline model of the current (453) generation in a few years. And I still can, but it will have to be a used model instead of a new special order.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
02/15/2017 at 02:43, STARS: 0
8(