Tiny Smart car evolves into all-electric version

[IDemo]

Daimler shows off battery-powered ED, will test 100 in Berlin

MSNBC staff and news service reports
updated 12:47 p.m. MT, Thurs., Oct. 2, 2008

PARIS - Get ready for a new sound — not look — to the tiny Smart cars produced by Daimler. On Thursday at the Paris Motor Show, the company introduced its Smart ED — an all-electric vehicle that makes barely a peep.

The Smart ED — the ED stands for electric drive — can cover about 90 miles without recharging, Daimler said, adding that limited production would start by the end of 2009.

"Welcome to the future of mobility," said Nikos Aliagas, a French TV presenter who introduced the quiet vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide or smog-forming chemicals.

In a statement, Daimler President Dieter Zetsche said the company has big plans for the small car. "The future will see an ever-increasing proportion of traffic on the roads in urban centers around the world," he said. "Zero-emission electric cars could shape the image of environmentally aware cities because zero local emission motoring is no longer science fiction."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26992491/

[Booster]

1. I want one.

[kestrel91316]

2. NOW we're talkin'!!!!

[Greyskye]

3. 90 mile range is sweet

The electric makers that I'm familiar with have about half that range. Claimed range, anyway.

[NoFederales]

4. Who would market these in the US? or will it be allowed?

NoFederales

[The Croquist]

5. A few thoughts...

A 90 mile range is much better then the Volt (40?) and would make it much more practical for commuters.

Daimler obviously believes in this or they wouldn't be installing 500 charging stations for just 100 cars. That's got to be a money loser in the short run.

http://www.zercustoms.com/news/Smart-ForTwo-ED-Electric-Drive.html

The site above regards the British version so there may be some differences. It claims 115 kilometers or 70 miles but I suspect that the batteries have been improved so that doesn't bother me.

This part makes me think it's got to be a dedicated short trip car.

When the battery is empty, it can be charged at any 230 volt power socket – at least 1000 times. The battery lasts for up to ten years. It takes four hours to charge it to 80 percent capacity and eight hours to charge it to full capacity.

Assuming these numbers are accurate you can't pull into a charging station and pop out 5 minutes later. You can do it at home, work or somewhere where you hang out allot (Biergärten?) but having to wait 4 - 8 hours is too long a time to plan a trip around.

I figure you can put them in each owner's home, work and train stations but there's little reason to scatter them around town at grocery stores and such. You probably ask each driver where they want the stations.

Also it says that the battery can be charged at least 1000 times. The number is good but does that mean that if I charge it up when it's already at 70% it will shorten the battery life? If so it would be smart to wait until it is almost empty meaning that very often you only have 20 or so miles of range left. Obviously if that isn't the case you plug it in every chance you get.

1000 charges at 80 miles a charge (I'm driving on empty) is 80,000 miles. That's about 2000 gallons at 40 MPG. At $4.00 a gallon that's about 8,000 dollars for gas. How much will the batteries cost?

[kristopher]

6. additional information

From Daimler press release: A Zebra battery (also known as a sodium-nickel-chloride battery) with a capacity of 15.5 kWh and voltage of 300 V provides the necessary electric power. It takes just 3.5 hours to charge the battery at any normal 230 V socket from 20 percent of capacity to 80 percent, which are the figures for a normal charging process. With a fully charged battery, the e-smart has a maximum range of 115 km (72 miles).
http://www.daimler.com/dccom/0-5-1096051-1-1097537-1-0-0-0-0-0-14972-876574-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html

What is odd is that even though these are the same figures you quote from the ZER site, the Daimler site has no mention of a 1000 time recharge limit. It is an extremely suspicious claim IMO and I wouldn't accept it until I see the source. Especially since most EV batteries are good for closer to 10,000 recharges. This battery is different than others being used in EVs since it isn't lithium.

They plan on changing that next year so I suppose the point is mute: The new smart fortwo electric drive offers the brand additional growth opportunities: "From the end of 2009 we will produce a small series of the smart fortwo electric drive with a lithium-ion battery", Dr. Dieter Zetsche said. The predecessor of the smart fortwo electric drive, the smart fortwo ev (electric vehicle), celebrated its world premiere in 2006. Since 2007 a fleet with a total of 100 smart fortwo electric drives of the first generation has been tested in everyday service in London. With the new smart fortwo generation the smart with electric drive is also being reengineered. Whereas the first generation of the smart fortwo electric drive is equipped with a sodium-nickel-chloride battery, the second generation will be fitted with a lithium-ion battery. This battery combines higher performance with a long life and high reliability.
http://www.daimler.com/dccom/0-5-7165-1-1125878-1-0-0-0-0-0-12080-7165-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html

[tinrobot]

7. So the battery will last 10 years or 90,000 miles.

When the battery is empty, it can be charged at any 230 volt power socket – at least 1000 times. The battery lasts for up to ten years.

90 miles on a charge with 1000 recharges equals 90,000 miles.

So, you can only drive it about 9,000 miles/year to get that 10 year lifespan.

Wonder how much the replacement battery will cost. A lot of people will be needing them.

[kristopher]

8. That information is unsubstantiated

That information on 1000 recharges is unsubstantiated; while all other information is directly from Daimler's press release, this lone "1000 times rechargable" statistic is not. It is much less than other batteries - which often advertise 10,000 recharges/10 years (see The Lightening's advertising). Either this "Zebra" battery has peculiar characteristics or (more likely IMO) the single source making this assertion (ZER Custom Car News) just screwed up and dropped a zero.

[tinrobot]

9. Current Li-Ion batteries are good for 1000-2000 cycles.

So, the number is in the ballpark for Li-Ion technology on the market today.

The Zebra battery is a molten salt/sodium battery, which does have a higher cycle rate, but lower energy density than lithium. It was used in the previous version of the Smart ED.

But you're right, nobody will know exact battery specs until the product is released and tested. Manufacturers tend to inflate these numbers, so third party testing would be good.

[kristopher]

10. "cells showed a very large manufacturing variability and inconsistent results."

"cells showed a very large manufacturing variability and inconsistent results" is the way one test summarized their inability to generalize. Below is what "Lightening" has to say about the product they are offering. I doubt if Daimler is aiming much (if any) lower.
But I take your point - they have been building this car for a number of years and they may well have chosen based on overall cost/benefit rather than selecting for top performance.

Until now, battery technology has hindered electric vehicle innovation. In 2000, US company Altairnano Inc. established a research programme to create an ultra safe, high power battery using cutting-edge Nanotechnology. The result of their hard work is the NanoSafe™ battery.

SAFER - NanoSafe™ batteries use nano titanate materials instead of graphite which makes them far more thermally stable - there are no toxics or heavy metals used in NanoSafe™ batteries.

LONGER-LASTING - NanoSafe™ batteries have a life expectancy of 12+ years, versus the 3-5 year usable life of other batteries. NanoSafe™ can retain up to 85% charge capacity after 15,000 charges.

FASTER CHARGE - NanoSafe™ batteries can be recharged in approximately 10 minutes, rather than the hours required by many other rechargeable batteries.

[tinrobot]

11. Is Altairnano providing the battery for the Smart ED?

I thought Daimler was going to use batteries provided by Tesla.

http://earth2tech.com/2008/08/29/tesla-to-charge-daimlers-electric-smart-cars/

The Tesla battery is comprised standard Li-Ion cells - current technology, not next generation. Thoroughly tested and reliable, however.

The battery in the Tesla roadster is rated for five years/100,000 miles, btw...

[TheWraith]

12. I wouldn't compare this to the Volt.

The Volt has a shorter pure-electric range, yes, but it also has an onboard generator to recharge it, making for a much longer total range, in addition to being a larger vehicle. This is a much short-hop vehicle for one or two people. Between this and the Volt, I'd take the Volt, but that's just me.