Smart to make an all-electric car

However, the company announced that it will be joining the all-electric charge with a Smart fortwo ed model. Test mules are already on the road.

The new vehicle will feature a Zytek electric motor that offers 41 hp, good enough for a limited top speed of 60 mph. Acceleration performance is 6.5 seconds to 30 mph. Charging the car is as as easy as flipping a fuel cap: A full 8-hour charge (which, in theory, gives the car a 100+ mile daily range) will deliver a range of 72 miles, Smart promises.

The big question is how much the Smart ed will cost. Current Smart fortwo models start at $11,590 for the base model and at $16,590 for the convertible. It is reasonable to assume that the electric version could carry a premium that easily could double the base model’s price and even that price would be more theory than reality. Even if the car would list for less than $25,000, you can expect huge dealer markups when the car becomes available.