Stuttgart – smart, the producer of one of the world’s most economical and environmentally friendly cars - the smart fortwo - is advancing the development of alternative propulsion technologies to develop even more ecologically friendly vehicles.

The smart fortwo electric drive (ed) further demonstrates the pioneering role of this young car brand with an emission-free, highly efficient and quiet two-seater, representing sustainable mobility at its highest level.

Presented at this year’s NAIAS motor show in Detroit, production of this next generation smart fortwo ed will commence at the end of this year.

As this car reaches production maturity, German auto maker Daimler AG is exploring market release opportunities within the enormous United States automotive market.

The smart fortwo ed series will be equipped with a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion technology has clear advantages over other type of batteries, including compact dimensions, high performance, shorter charging times and higher reliability.

In 2007, smart started a pilot project in London, England to test the smart fortwo electric drive vehicle. Using prototypes based on the first-generation smart fortwo, smart leased 100 electric versions of the fortwo to the general public in order to gain real-world market-based experience with this technology, and to determine the technology’s long-term sustainability.

The project has proven to be very successful, with customers giving very encouraging feedback.

In addition, the English authorities have rewarded smart’s commitment by exempting drivers of electric smart vehicles from the expensive London congestion charge.

London was selected as the perfect test city due to its high population and infrastructure density, which has resulted in high traffic, parking shortages, severe noise, and pollution. Participation in the project was first offered to companies that operated their own vehicle fleets and those who drive in inner city areas.

Participants lease the electric smart for four years or 40,000 miles, and the project will officially run until 2012. Interestingly, the majority of the customers who have so far participated in the London-based pilot project approached smart, not the other way around.

The company is using the test data from this project to assist with monitoring and evaluating the production-specification smart fortwo ed, as well as many other different technologies under assessment with the smart brand.