Smart Cars and Electric Cars

nancy · Post by **nancy** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:48 am

While in Florence I saw lots of the Smart Cars as there isn't much space to park plus the roads were very narrow. These are not electric but they are small and apparently get about 40 mpg. Smart Cars are made by Swatch and Mercedes Benz. I also saw what I think is a Zappcar in Florence (the yellow one) which was tucked in with a bunch of mopeds!

I call this the "Barbie" car.

Zapp car

What a cute pair! Smart Car and moped in pink!

Thank you Dan for arranging for the Beaver Island Electric Car Show in June!

Nancy

Dan Wardlow · Post by **Dan Wardlow** » Fri May 09, 2008 10:41 am

The smart was just released in the US and the entire first year's production is sold out, and at a premium over the sticker price. They're fairly expensive, and 40 mpg isn't really very impressive given the car's small size. I saw two of them in Detroit last week. They're cute, but the mileage makes it a no-go for us. There are a couple of Honda Fits here on the island that are a lot less expensive than the market price of the smart, carry 4 people, have flexible cargo space, and get as good gas mileage. Note that on the dirt roads on BI, the smart would get around 30 mpg.

The yellow car you posted isn't a Zap (http://www.zapworld.com); I'm not sure what it is.

nancy · Post by **nancy** » Fri May 09, 2008 9:55 pm

Yeah, I don't know why they call them "smart" cars with 40 mpg as that isn't very good. Cute name though.

I think electric is the way to go on the island.

Nancy