Prototype for new Smart ForTwo Electric Drive debuting at 2016 Paris Auto Show
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Smart was one of the first mainstream automakers to introduce an electric car when it launched its original ForTwo Electric Drive on the market late last decade.
With the arrival of the third-generation ForTwo last year, the electric version was noticeably absent.
We don’t have to wait too much longer for the new ForTwo Electric Drive, though. as Smart just confirmed the car for a debut at the 2016 Paris Auto Show in late September.
And this time around every model in the Smart lineup will be available in electric guise, including the ForFour sold overseas.
U.S. sales commence late 2016
All three will feature the same electric motor, which will be sourced from a Renault plant in northern France. The French automaker is an alliance partner of Smart’s parent company Daimler and is actually responsible for the manufacture of the ForFour model.
Meanwhile, the cars’ batteries will be sourced from Daimler subsidiary Deutsche Accumotive, the same company that will supply batteries for Mercedes-Benz’s new electric car fleet.
No technical details have been released but we can expect some improvements over the outgoing ForTwo Electric Drive. The outgoing car develops 74 horsepower and has an EPA-rated range of 68 miles. All Smart is willing to say that the new car boasts some major improvements when it comes to charging.
The new ForTwo Electric Drive has been confirmed to reach the United States by the end of the year, which means we’ll likely see it arrive as a 2017 model. For the previous-generation ForTwo, Smart says roughly one out every four sold here was electric.
