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Thursday, June 24, 2010

Test Driving the Electric ‘smart fortwo’ Car

Editor’s note: WestportNow’s James Lomuscio took a test drive Wednesday of the new “smartfortwo electric drive” car that the Town of Westport is considering for use at a planned, electric charging station at the eastbound platform of Westport’s Metro-North station.

By James Lomuscio

There is no idle. No revving. No gears to shift. The only sign the car is on after you turn the key is that the needles on the two gauges atop the dashboard wave up and down.
James Lomuscio gets set to take the electric car for a test drive. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The first gauge measures the “state of charge,” and this one was set at about 98 percent, nearly a full tank in common vernacular. The other measures “the state of draw,” comparable to the battery meter in most gasoline powered vehicles.

Everything seemed quiet, almost too quiet. And simple.

“You’re still fighting the fact that it’s not complex enough,” said Derek Kaufman, vice president of business development for smart USA based in Bloomfield Hill, Mich. “The fact is there is great sophistication underneath that makes it seem simple.”

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