Prev Next
1 of 14

2011 Smart Electric Drive Passion Coupe (photos)

The Smart coupe would appear to be an excellent platform for an electric car. The gasoline version weighs less than 2,000 pounds. But its small size works against it, limiting the size of the battery.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
The battery pack does not impinge on the Smart's cargo space, which is unexpectedly large.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
The Smart Electric Drive felt like it came with a power-steering unit, as the wheel was easy to turn.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
These two pod gauges show the battery charge state and power use. The power use gauge is important to monitor to determine driving efficiency.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
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.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
Similar to the standard Smart coupe, the head unit is a simple AM/FM radio that lacks even a CD player.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
A USB port in the glovebox reads MP3s from thumb drives, and the stereo interface makes it reasonably easy to choose music.

Back to review.

Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
Latest Galleries
See all

BEST LIST

Find the best hybrids on the market!

Hybrid technology can be applied to any type of car, and the best show the most significant fuel economy improvements over a similar gasoline-only car.

Latest From Roadshow

BMW, VW, Daimler colluded to fix diesel system prices, report alleges

Ford tries to worm its way out of the latest Takata recall

Lyft goes all-in on autonomy, opens new office in Silicon Valley

Daimler, Audi updating millions of diesels to avoid bans in Europe

2018 Subaru Impreza adds new features, higher price tag