The Canadian Press (Kelowna, Canada) - Dana Sleigh pushes the pedal to the metal on the Smart electric car and gets only silent acceleration.
"I knew that's what's supposed to happen," said Sleigh during a recent test drive of the 100-per-cent electric vehicle.
"But it's still a bit unexpected because when you accelerate you expect all the revving and accompanying noise. I love the quiet of this car."
Sleigh, from Kelowna, test drove the Smart ED (electric drive) when the Smart Plugged In Tour promoting the vehicles came to the local Mercedes-Benz dealership recently. Mercedes is the maker of both the regular Smart and electric Smart cars and the vehicles are sold through their dealerships.
While the electric Smart car won't begin to be sold to the public until the summer of 2012, the tour is meant to bump up awareness and excitement.
Smart has an advantage in the electric car race because its gasoline and diesel models have been on the market for years and people are familiar with the distinctive snub-nosed shape of the little two-seaters.
That will come in handy when the electric car market explodes next year with not only Smart coming on stream, but also the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Miev.
The Smart Plugged In Tour started in Victoria and moves east and will eventually see visits to 52 Mercedes dealerships in 46 cities.
Sleigh owns a 2006 diesel Smart car she uses for zipping around town.
"I would definitely consider upgrading to a Smart electric. Although it's only a two-seater it feels like a big car and the ride is so smooth," she said.
"I love the idea of electric and its reduced carbon footprint and fuel savings. It would make a great A to B vehicle around the city. The only thing that concerns me is how long the battery charge lasts and how long it takes to recharge it."
With a full charge on its Tesla battery, the 40-horsepower Smart electric has a range of 135 kilometres with top speeds of 102 kilometres per hour.
It takes about eight hours to recharge the battery from its discharged state using electric power from a standard 110-volt outlet, or a special 240-volt set-up that delivers quicker charges.
The charging unit is designed to look like a gas nozzle. The cord comes from the outlet to a handle that resembles that gas nozzle that plugs into the car where the gas tank opening would generally be.
The retail price of the Smart electric hasn't been set. Regular Smart cars already on the market start at $14,000.
"Some people are coming out to test drive for the novelty of getting behind the wheel of an electric car," said Rod Matthews, who brought the tour to town with fellow Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy instructor Jeremie Bernardin.
"But we've also had a lot of serious people, too, who would have bought a Smart electric today if they could."
Bernardin runs through the features of the car paying special attention to the battery gauge (instead of a gas gauge) and the automatic transmission box — the Smart electric has park, reverse, neutral and drive like all cars, but now lower gears.
"That's because Smart electric has 100 per cent torque in its one drive gear," explained Bernardin.
"Most people would think an electric car would have slow acceleration and not go fast enough, but this car takes off right away and has a maximum of 102 kilometres an hour."
Bernardin also pointed out that the battery with coolant and Zytek electric motor are good to go in any weather.
