Smart refitted the coupe with an electric drive, replacing the lower rear-mounted engine and gas tank with a 16.5 kWh lithium ion battery pack and 41 horsepower electric motor.

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The battery is on the small side for a pure electric car, giving the Smart only 65 miles range in EPA testing. Smart also limited the top speed to 60 mph, which is slow for Interstates.

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The plug-in port is on the rear right side of the car, in the same spot as the gasoline filler in the standard Smart coupe. The plug is a standard J1772 electric car configuration.

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Smart says that, when plugged into a 220-volt outlet, the batteries charge to full in under 8 hours. It can also be charged from a 110-volt source, but charging will take considerably longer.

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Besides the electric drive system, the Smart Electric Drive is identical to a standard Smart coupe. It has drum brakes in the rear and disc brakes up front. The suspension leads to a rough ride because of the short wheelbase.

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The battery pack does not impinge on the Smart's cargo space, which is unexpectedly large.

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The cabin layout is the same between both electric and gasoline Smart coupes. In both cars, the ignition lock is on the console, behind the shifter.

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The Smart Electric Drive felt like it came with a power-steering unit, as the wheel was easy to turn.

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The instrument cluster shows minimal information, just a speedometer and a spare LCD. Missing from this display is remaining range, something other electric cars emphasize.

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These two pod gauges show the battery charge state and power use. The power use gauge is important to monitor to determine driving efficiency.

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The shifter does not have a manual mode, like on the gasoline-powered car. It could be replaced by push buttons, as the drive mode is all electric.

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Similar to the standard Smart coupe, the head unit is a simple AM/FM radio that lacks even a CD player.

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A USB port in the glovebox reads MP3s from thumb drives, and the stereo interface makes it reasonably easy to choose music.

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