Smart Electric and Car2Go Potential
January 31, 2013 in Car sharing, Daimler, Electric Vehicles, EV News, Smart Electric

Car2Go Seattle WA
Photo courtesy of Car2Go
Smart Electric and Car2Go Potential
Car2Go Potential
Daimler made a couple of comments that were newsworthy in a press release today. First, the company gave a strong signal that they expect good demand for the new Smart Electric and that they are planning to ramp up production. The press release was referring to German sales in this comment: “Last year more than 1000 zero-local-emission smart fortwo electric drives were produced, and in 2013 the production will be continuously stepped up to meet the high demand as quickly as possible.” Second, Daimler clearly expressed its happiness with the financial aspects of Car2Go, the car sharing subsidiary. The release stated: “By the end of 2012 – much earlier than expected – the concept (Car2Go) had already become profitable in several cities.”
The language in this press release is very reassuring for the Smart Electric and Car2Go future. The haze has cleared a bit. There is significant upside to the EV story in the United States, if the Smart Electric is produced in volume. Since Car2Go has been very active in the US market of recent, I suspect that they like the results to date, and they would be inclined to add the new Smart Electrics as they arrive.
The Smart Electric is perfectly suited for urban markets, which plays into the Car2Go model. Currently, Car2Go has operations in the following US cities: Austin TX, San Diego CA, Washington D.C., Portland OR, Seattle WA, and Miami FL. The mayors of these cities and the private sector charging companies have a great opportunity to expand the electric vehicle market with Car2Go. The publicly accessible charging infrastructure in these cities needs to be fully developed.
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