Daimler delays the Smart ForTwo electric car
By Andrew, 20 Dec, 2011. 0 Comments
Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Ed
The electric version of the ForTwo minicar will start to be delivered by Daimler's Smart subsidiary in September 2012, according to Automotive News Europe. Two months ago, Smart had pledged that deliveries will begin months earlier than next September. The brand considers the electric ForTwo to be its most important launch in 2012. A Daimler spokeswoman confirmed the revision in the schedule, explaining that the delay is only for three months and that deliveries would have started in June. She said that the plan had to be changed due to the setback with Li-Tec, its battery cell supplier.
When Li-Tec ramped up production, it encountered problems. However, she wouldn’t specify what the issues are related to the manufacturing process. The spokeswoman clarified that the batteries have no technical or quality defects but the company doesn’t want to lower its standards when it comes to quality.
The batteries that the third-generation electric ForTwo will use are produced by a joint venture between Daimler and Deutsche Accumotive, a German supplier Evonic. Li-Tec, the subsupplier of the battery cells, is a separate joint venture between Evonic and Daimler. According to a press release on Sept. 13, 2011, Daimler announced that the third-generation electric Smart would be offered in over 30 worldwide markets beginning in the spring of 2012. It was in London in 2007 that the first electric Smart test fleet was launched. Since 2009, about 2,000 units of the second generation model, which uses Tesla’s batteries, have been made. [source: Autonews]
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