smart continues its mobility concept further: market launch for the smart escooter in 2014

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PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart – smart will launch the escooter on the market in 2014. For smart, this is the next logical step in implementing its comprehensive concept for future urban mobility.

"The decision in favor of the escooter has been made," announced Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, on the sidelines of the international dealer meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future," he added.

Back in 2010, smart unveiled a comprehensive portfolio of electric products for urban transport at the Paris Motor Show. In addition to the smart fortwo electric drive as a coupé and a convertible, it includes the smart ebike and the escooter. smart is now consistently turning this concept into reality: the smart fortwo electric drive will be launched on the market in summer 2012, and delivery to customers of the first ebikes is just beginning. The fully electric escooter will be premiered within the next two years. The design of the escooter study is being developed and refined further. With its many innovative and trendsetting features, the new product will be unmistakably a genuine smart. Just like the ebike, the escooter will also be available for customers who (as yet) have no driver's license for cars as a smart on two wheels.

"Anyone who thinks of urban mobility has to think of smart," says Dr. Annette Winkler, the head of smart. "We offer the perfect zero-emissions vehicle for every requirement, and with our products, electric travel is a lot of fun too."

A number of external studies and the awards that the brand has recently won illustrate how much the ideas from smart are in tune with today's demands for individual urban mobility.
"We are especially proud that the ebike received the red dot award, and that our comprehensive mobility concept won the 2012 iF product design award," Dr. Winkler added.

The judging panel for the red dot awards gave the coveted "best of the best" predicate to the series production version of the 2012 smart ebike. This year, the iF product design award, which has been internationally recognised since 1953, singled out the smart mobility concept, consisting of the smart electric drive, the smart ebike, and the smart escooter, as an excellent overall concept for urban mobility. Like? smart continues its mobility concept further: market launch for the smart escooter in 2014 for wallpaper? Shar this image to smart continues its mobility concept further: market launch for the smart escooter in 2014 for your friend.

Introducing the Smart eBike

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Wallpaper Introducing the Smart eBike

Going electric makes a lot of sense for the smallest city-commute vehicles—like the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, which is still on the way. But in the meantime, it looks like a different Smart electric vehicle will arrive first: the Smart eBike.
The Smart eBike is a bicycle, but an electrically boosted, hybridized bicycle at that. With a 200-watt electric motor system, fed by a 423-Whr lithium-ion battery, and four different power levels, it aims to get more people out of their cars and taking on hills or longer distances than they might in a standard bicycle.
Built on the basis of what's essentially a long, stable three-speed city-touring bicycle—I own a vintage three-speed Raleigh, among several other road/racing bikes, and the proportions actually felt closest to that—the eBike has the foundation to make even people who aren't used to a bicycle comfortable right off the bat. And instead of a conventional bike chain, the Smart ebike uses a no-oil carbon drive belt, so you won't get oil stains at the bottom of your pantlegs.
There's no throttle grip, as in a scooter or motorcycle. As long as you're exerting the slightest bit of forward pedaling motion, the motor system engages, assisting with just a bit of boost, or essentially in its highest-boost mode, propelling you along at a much faster speed than you might otherwise have ridden.
Along with those basics, there's an LCD control center of sorts in the middle of the handlebars that shows you speed and charge remaining, and lets you adjust the boost level. On a small harbor street in France, we were able to pedal along quite easily as you pass 25 km/h (15 mph), in the highest boost level. The disc brakes were also very strong. And lock and key are included.
The trouble that we experienced is that when you go 'faster' than a particular boost setting, the powertrain actually seems to add resistance to your ride—more than if you could just be pedaling a normal bike—so if you're an experienced/fast bicyclist then this isn't a great solution. The drive system can recover some energy as you pedal, but we're not clear (neither were company reps) on how you can adjust/monitor/control that separately from the assist levels.
There's also a USB interface for a tablet-based navigation system, smartphone integration, and accessories like a saddlebag available. Smart says that the bike can go about 62 miles on a charge in its lowest-boost setting—but again, at that rate you'll be moving very slowly. Figure on about 15 miles at that highest-boost setting. And it fully charges on a household plug (we're assuming 110V is nearly as quick) overnight.
The price tag for the Smart eBike—which is being delivered now in Europe and might arrive in the U.S. as soon as late this summer, through Smart dealerships—is a little shocking: 2,849 euros, or about $3,700. But because it has pedals, Smart says, you don't need a driving license or insurance.
That's still a pretty steep price for supplemental pedal power—especially considering that for the same budget, you could get a used NEV like a GEM or Zap, or a fleet of Huffys.
Better invest in one heck of a bike lock.

 Source: Green Car Reports Like? Introducing the Smart eBike for wallpaper? Shar this image to Introducing the Smart eBike for your friend.