Smart Cars are taking over Paris
Smart Cars are as ubiquitous here as SUVs are in North America. I love the Smart Car because they are really small and that's a good thing in a city with limited parking and narrow roads. I'm tempted to get one. Check out the website: http://www.smart.com What do you think?
Now SINTEF is going to make them even smarter: they are working to make Daimler Benz's Smart Cars run on little more than air and electricity --this means zero emissions! Instead of diesel, the Smart Car will have a battery that will run for at least 200 km before running out of juice/having to be recharged. In addition to being a "green" vehicle, the Smart Car will have the capacity to provide emergency backup power to home appliances via an extension cord! (This means that I could use my cappuccino machine during a blackout.)
Did you know that many European cities are encouraging the use of electric cars? In Oslo, electric cars are allowed in the bus and taxi lanes. In Paris, you can re-charge your car at a spot near the l'Arc de Triomphe. See blue sign.
So when will North American cities promote electric cars? Are they waiting for unbearable gas hikes? Or has this already happened?
posted by petitecanadienne | 2:28 PM
2 Comments:
There are so many Smart cars in Paris and France, and yet, this business does not make profits. Its been a while that rumors of bankruptcy are in the air, and now, mercedes-benz wants to sell it. The Smart is a great idea by an independant designer : before it was released, we had a lot of small cars, but they were shaped like "pot de yahourt" and were never too sucessful because of their look. The Smart was the first to have this great design, and brought the concept of "concept car" to this extreme : a car designed for modern urban areas with more and more limited parking spaces (due to more and more cars). The Research and development of the Smart was a huge venture : they delayed its release by one year after having found security problems when turning at high speed, and it took a lot of additional ressources to solve the problem (that's when mercedes benz entered the capital). It is very practical to have a smart in european cities. Men use it, but it is also the preffered car of women. So think smartly and don't let the smart die. Just buy one (or two).
Check out the indian prototype of this concept:
http://www.revaindia.com/
Sadly, this concept hasn't been selling so well in India but they are securing contracts in europe & japan.
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