The electric Smart car has been one of the biggest success stories of the green car era – and now a UK-based company is getting its share of that success.
Electric car specialist Zytek has been given the contract to build and fit the electric drivetrain for the second-generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive at its facility in Fradley, Staffordshire. It has developed an electric drivetrain to drive the rear wheels of the Smart Fortwo that integrates the electric motor, power and control electronics into one assembly with only three connections – water, high voltage electrics and low voltage electrics.
The idea is that this will replace the conventional petrol engine and rear axle while the removal of the fuel tank allows room for a battery pack below the floor.
The second-generation vehicle is expected to be a significant upgrade compared to the first version with a move to lithium-ion batteries instead of sodium-nickel-chloride. This will increase the range life of the battery pack and cut recharging times.
The new Smart Fortwo ED is expected to go into production towards the end of the year and be used in a number of electric vehicle test programmes in cities such as Berlin, Milan, Paris, Pisa and Rome.
