Soon after becoming available in the US in January of this year, the European Smart Car fortwo manufactured by Mercedes Benz has been a smash hit and you currently have to get on a 9 month waiting list for one… or get it on EBAY! (but you'll pay up to a 35% premium)
It's ranked the highest fuel efficiency car in the US (besides hybrids) and gets 33/41 mpg. Not exactly impressive for a car of this size in my opinion.. this is probably more a case of the cool factor rather than saving as much fuel as possible. Adding to the surging demand is the price, which at 11590 MSRP, is much more affordable than traditional fuel efficient cars such as the Toyota Prius. The good crash test rating have also added to its popularity.
It's not without it's critics however. Outside of the mediocre gas mileage, they say the car is noisy at fast speeds, lurches when shifting and doesn't provide a real smooth ride. I haven't driven one but would have to agree that it does seem to be more of a fad, then a practical solution to our growing need for efficient transportation. If you need a car just for city driving, there are cheaper, better fuel efficiency options such as the Zap which relies solely on battery power and gets up to 40 mph. If you need better fuel efficiency for highway driving as well, the Honda Fit appears to be the best value (just a bit less fuel efficient with much twice the room).
Filed under Smart Cars by on May 22nd, 2008. Comment. 
There aren't too many dealerships out there yet that specialize in electric powered cars but I'd expect the number to grow considerably over the next 2 years. I did a search and compiled a directory (I'm not making any claims that this is comprehensive or complete!) If you know of any others feel free to leave a comment.
This small list is from the Electric Auto Association:
New Vehicles— Dealers
- Electric Car Company of Long Beach Long Beach, CA
- Electric Cars of Austin Austin, TX
- Green Rides Campbell, CA
- MC Electric Vehicles Seattle, Washington
- Star Electric Cars Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Here's a more comprehensive list of 34 dealerships across the nation from Electric Powered Cars Are For Girls (great name!)
EcoMotion is an electric powered car dealership and it just so happens to be right down the street from me in Portland Oregon! They sell quite a few of the Zap models and Zap says that Oregon is one of the top US electric car markets. Very cool
Filed under Electric Cars by on Apr 5th, 2008. Comment.
There are many advantages to an electric car – some obvious, some not so much.
Zero Emmissions
Fewer moving parts – less repair!
Quieter
Efficiency – nearly 90% energy conversion efficiency
Cheaper Fuel!
Environmentally Friendly
Some disadvantages….
Range – they can only get you so far on a charge
Speed – not for the needy of speed
Safety – wouldn't want to be hit with an SUV in one
Cost – some of the newer models coming to market are very pricey (see Phoenix Motorcars)
Filed under Electric Cars by on Feb 15th, 2008. Comment.
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