Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Crosses Over The Atlantic

Smart's zero-emissions ForTwo made its US debut at the 2016 LA Auto Show following its world premiere in Paris earlier this year.

Produced in Hambach, France, it is identical to its European twin. It offers the same levels of customization and benefits from an on-board charger as a standard feature.

All Smart electric cars share the same underpinnings and use a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which takes roughly 2.5 hours to charge. For now, at least, because the automaker will introduce a 22 kW fast charger in 2017, as an optional feature, which will drop the charging time to less than 45 minutes, if local conditions allow three-phase charging.

Powering the new Smart ForTwo Coupe Electric Drive is an 81 HP and 118 pound-feet (160 Nm) of torque electric motor that works in conjunction with a single-speed fixed gear transmission made by Renault. It needs 11.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) and it will keep going up to a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h), which is electronically limited to maximize efficiency.

In Germany, the 2017 ForTwo Electric Drive carries a recommended retail price of €21,940, tax included, which equals to $23,512 at the current exchange rates. The car company has yet to announce US pricing.