At some point, it’ll probably be commonplace, but as of its 2017 model year, Smart will be the only big car brand that can truthfully claim to offer both an electric drive and a gas-powered option across all of its vehicle offerings. The Daimler-owned maker of pint-sized urban cars will offer an EV version of its Fortwo, Fortwo Cabrio and Forfour in 2017, and each one will use a brand new Smart Electric Drive platform, built by Mercedes-Benz in partnership with Renault-Nissan.
The electric versions of the Smart cars aren’t range monsters, but offer 99 miles per EP ratings via their 17.6 kWH capacity, which is more than enough for the average city-dweller’s daily commute. Plus, you can actually get a full charge in just about two-and-a-half hours, instead of the longer charge times required for big capacity batteries using standard voltage outlets.
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Pricing is yet to come for the EV options, but the first car to arrive will be the Fortwo Electric Drive with a launch window of spring 2017, with the convertible version arriving later that summer. All of these EVs will be on display at the upcoming 2016 Paris Motor Show in October.