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smart142

Indianapolis Test Market For Electric Smart Car

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Electric A/C, electric (only) heat, some of the peripherals are going to mean it's a damned complex network!

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Electric A/C, electric (only) heat, some of the peripherals are going to mean it's a damned complex network!

The temperature controls are already in the vehicles, so for A/C you are replacing a belt driven motor with an electric one. The benefit for A/C in the ED is that the long hoses that fail are eliminated. As for heat you trade having a heater core, hosing, valves, coolant and a source for heat with just an electric heater grid. Seems much simpler to me. Edited by Huronlad

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There will be more electrical components in the A/C and heating, that was my point. Entropy will be best pleased.

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There will be more electrical components in the A/C and heating, that was my point. Entropy will be best pleased.

One system becomes electrically more complex but mechanically less so. Should lead to a more reliable system, as most of these new items will be protected inside the car.

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Even the reply is irrational.

1. wheels....................Accessory item ( are there non oem steel wheels?)

2. tires........................not made just for smart

3. exhaust...................EPA approved?...not

4. battery....................not made just for smart

5. glass

6. ball joints

7. springs

8. shocks/struts

9. interior accessories....Accessories

10. stereo....................Accessories-not made just for smart

11. speakers.................Accessories-not made just for smart

12. brakes....................Which cheaper do you mean here?

13. windshield wipers......not made just for smart

The list is getting shorter... Unless you consider tire valve caps, washer fluid and H7 bulbs. :mellow:

Edited by gordo.bernard

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Even the reply is irrational.

1. wheels....................Accessory item ( are there non oem steel wheels?)

2. tires........................not made just for smart

3. exhaust...................EPA approved?...not

4. battery....................not made just for smart

5. glass

6. ball joints

7. springs

8. shocks/struts

9. interior accessories....Accessories

10. stereo....................Accessories-not made just for smart

11. speakers.................Accessories-not made just for smart

12. brakes....................Which cheaper do you mean here?

13. windshield wipers......not made just for smart

The list is getting shorter... Unless you consider tire valve caps, washer fluid and H7 bulbs. :mellow:

I met your criteria, "I would question whether you could list a dozen items that are available cheaper than OEM." What is irrational, besides your response to being bested?

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Of all the non-accessory parts used currently in a smart (which has been on the market for more than a decade now) I would question whether you could list a dozen items that are available cheaper than OEM.

Toning down the attitude just a little bit...I was not "bested" ...just specific.

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Definition of accessory: a thing of secondary or subordinate importance : adjunct b : an object or device not essential in itself but adding to the beauty, convenience, or effectiveness of something else.

I will revise my list due to my oversight.

1. alloy wheels as they are standard equipment on some of the models, wheels are somewhat essential regardless of construction material

2. tires, they are essential

3. exhaust, essential, EPA is for US only, as long as they have a proper cat and muffler and it does not leak and is only so loud, it should be legal in Canada

4. battery, essential

5. glass, essential

6. ball joints, essential

7. springs, essential

8. shocks/struts, essential

9. brakes, These

10. windshield wipers, essential

11. light bulbs, essential

12. spark plugs, essential

13. ABS reluctor rings,essential and much less expensive than OEM

Even if number one is removed, I still have 12 items and meet the previous requirements, all non-accessories and less expensive than OEM.

Edited by Huronlad

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An interesting debate. Try this on for fun.Suppose cars were currently all electric and someone was proposing that we convert to internal combustion engines. How would the debate go then?How hot is this thing getting? Where does all the waste heat go? You want me to carry 20 liters of flamible fluids? What about all this vibration - surely that has to weaken the metal after a while? Won't all those explosions and changes in direction eventually wear out that engine? What does it cost to replace it? Damn that thing is loud and the vibration!! Point is any time you try to make a major shift in society you are going get strong resistance no matter what it is you are trying to do. Instead of focusing on the "why we shouldn't" we need to focus on the "why we must". Let's face it. People who would buy/lease one of these cars really don't care about the costs. These are early adopters who can afford to pay to indulge their curiosity and put their money where their mouth is. $600/month for a small limited use toy? Nobody in their right mind is going to do that. But we need to thank those who are not in their right mind for being the guinea pigs and getting the pendulum swinging. You gotta start somewhere.

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You'd have to be kind of nuts to lease a smart at 600 a month when a Leaf or Volt costs about half that.

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I was trying to get on the list people interested in getting a smart ED this fall.The lease on our 2008 Passion is up in December. Needless to say, I was informed that I would not be one of the "lucky" few. Then I started to think I would have been crazy to lease an early release ED. The lease ( in the US ) is for 4 years @ $600 a month and about $3000 down. In two years, smart plans to release the ED to the general public and those ED would benefit from the testing done by the "early adopters". In 2012, the smart ED would probably be less expensive as production would be scaled up. Early adopters would still be stuck for another 2 years paying more for a beta ED )-:So, seems like I will wait for 2012-2013 before getting an ED. In the mean time, we are seriously considering a Ford Fiesta 2011. The Fiesta is a European car with lots of technology built in and very efficient with gas.I am almost convinced my highway milage in a Fiesta would be better then the smart. With the smart, I was never able to do better then 5.2 l / 100km on long road trips ( over 200 km ) and this driving at 95 km/hour. Steve

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You'd have to be kind of nuts to lease a smart at 600 a month when a Leaf or Volt costs about half that.

Mike, take my checkbook and call me crazy.I put $2K down three weeks ago at scPDX, refundable of course. Trang (the GM) told me last May that the first release would be short-term lease only to afford smart time to work out bugs. A four-year lease doesn't seem so short-term when general release is just two years down the road and payments are said to be $600/mo., and I haven't seen anything in writing regarding the proposed terms.I have two fears: One, Daimler pulls back after the initial release and the opportunity is one-time that I don't want to miss. -Or-Two, as Steve mentioned, the general release is technologically improved (a given) and is more cost friendly, leaving me with buyer's remorse (lessee's remorse?) in years three and four...Timo(Oh, and I am in line for the Leaf December rollout too, just in case)

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