2011Smart Electric Drive Passion Coupe is less green and more pricey in comparison

Small, lightweight and fuel-efficient, this seems to be the ideal description for most of the electric cars being unveiled today. Smart’s gas-powered ForTwo seemed to be the perfect platform to build an electric car on, or so Smart thought. However, on scooping out the insides of a standard coupe and fitting it with electric insides to give birth to the 2011 Electric Drive Passion Coupe, Smart found out that building a good electric isn’t all that easy! The car underwent EPA tests and produced a 63-mile range (pretty good) with a 60 mile top speed (pathetic). This leaves the little car far behind in the dust when compared to other electrics like the Nissan Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt.

Smart however aren’t planning to build an electric car ground up, instead choosing to stick to this version which will be used in test programs for a start and will then hit production in 2012.





[Cnet]