- Daimler's all-electric Smart Fortwo "car2go" program will launch before the end of the year, previewing the future of German-style urban transportation in the U.S.
- The San Diego car-sharing service will get a fleet of 300 Smart Fortwo electric vehicles.
- The electric Smart Fortwos will be charged at approximately 1,000 Blink commercial charging stations that are expected to be installed by the end of the year for public use in San Diego.
SAN DIEGO — Daimler's all-electric Smart Fortwo "car2go" program will launch before the end of the year, previewing the future of German-style urban transportation in the U.S.
The San Diego car-sharing service will get a fleet of 300 Smart Fortwo electric vehicles that are powered by a 40-horsepower electric propulsion system. The electric Smart Fortwos can travel 84 miles on a single charge. Daimler says a complete charge takes about eight hours or overnight, but noted that its research shows Car2go drivers in urban areas rarely exceed a six-mile trip.
The electric Smart Fortwos will be charged at approximately 1,000 Blink commercial charging stations that are expected to be installed by the end of the year for public use in San Diego.
Car2go has yet to announce details such as pricing and customer registrations.
San Diego, a popular spot for electric-vehicle launches, has positioned itself as the nation's electric-vehicle capital.
"San Diego is a forward-thinking city determined to meet future transportation demands of its residents," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of Car2go North America in a statement. "Our goal is to complement the existing transportation infrastructure by providing an emission-free car-sharing service for short and spontaneous one-way trips."
The new program would allow members to rent the Smart Fortwo electric by the minute. Unlike Zipcar, the car-sharing service that requires members to pick up and return a vehicle to the same spot, Car2go allows drivers to pick from open parking spaces in designated areas.
Car2go kicked off in Ulm, Germany three years ago. Daimler brought the service to the U.S. as a pilot program using conventional Smart Fortwos in Austin, Texas. Daimler says it is now in four cities, including Hamburg, Germany and Vancouver, British Columbia and has more than 40,000 members.
Inside Line says: San Diego will be an interesting test-bed for Daimler's Car2go electric-vehicle program, as it undoubtedly mulls a wider rollout here.
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ambee514 says:
04:46 AM, 07/15/2011
the electric range on that isn't THAT bad considering how limited the battery space is. That being said there are a few hundred cars that are ahead of this on the "want to buy" list
damaje199 says:
11:43 PM, 07/14/2011
Considering how much smaller than the leaf the For2 is, the lack of space for the batteries is probably why the range is not better. I just hope the electric motor does not mimic the gasolines jerky tranny, which feels like you're a passenger in a car with manual tranny being driven by someone who is not good at driving a stick.
tazereli says:
09:15 PM, 07/14/2011
Let's take a questionable car to begin with and add a long fueling time and short range. Put that together and you get a winner!!!