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HAMBACH, France — The electrically powered Smart Fortwo has been delayed because of issues with the battery supplier, Cobasys of southeastern Michigan. Development had progressed to the point that Inside Line has taken the electric-drive Smart out for test-drives in such disparate locales as London, Silicon Valley and Seville, Spain, but it looks as though the mass-market version is still some way off. The Smart Fortwo with Electric Drive is slated to be shown in production trim at the 2008 Paris Auto Show next month.
The lithium-ion-equipped Fortwo EV has been optimistically planned for the end of 2009. However, Klaus Badenhausen, Smart chief engineer, told Inside Line that the supplier problems have made it difficult for the company to move ahead with lithium-ion development. The current sodium nickel-hydride battery pack of the plug-in Fortwo has been pleasing lease customers around London on a limited test basis since late 2006.
Cobasys is in the midst of determining whether or not it will stay solvent, while its owner, CSC, is reportedly actively seeking to sell off the entire business. This drama has resulted in an indefinite hold being placed on the Daimler lithium-ion battery development.
Daimler President and CEO Dieter Zetsche told IL, "The recent developments with our lithium-ion partners have Daimler looking actively into various Plan Bs." While no specifics were given, Badenhausen told IL, "You can imagine, if you like, that we are continuing our own development within Daimler."
Whether the Smart Fortwo with Electric Drive actually can hit the market by late 2009 remains as elusive a bet as the Chevy Volt and other lithium-ion projects arriving on schedule.
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