Smart EQ Forfour Electric Car (Hatchback): The Complete Electric Car Buying Guide For India

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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The All-Electric Smart EQ Forfour Hatchback

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In June 2020, Smart Europe GmbH was founded, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Smart Automobile Co. Ltd. The company is a joint venture between the German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz AG and Geely Automobile Co,, Ltd, the privately-owned Chinese automotive manufacturer.

The vision of the joint venture is to “position Smart as a leading provider of intelligent electric vehicles in the premium segment’. The Smart Europe based team is responsible for all sales, marketing and after-sales activities. The Smart portfolio of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) include:

• All-electric Smart #1 (BEV)
• All-electric Smart #3 (BEV)
• Smart EQ Fortwo coupe (BEV)
• Smart EQ Fortwo Cabrio (BEV)
• Smart EQ Forfour (BEV)

The Smart Forfour internal combustion engine (ICE) city car was first introduced in Europe in 2004. The Smart Forfour EV, an electric variant of the city car, has been available since 2018 (launched in 2017). This battery-electric vehicle (BEV) shares its platform with the Renault Twingo and is manufactured in Slovenia.

The compact Smart EQ electric car is well suited for the urban environment, in particular, in towns and cities that are densely populated, with severe road congestion. The EV is easy to park (turning circle: 9.05 m), even in small parking spaces. Certainly easy to drive too. The EQ electric vehicle is a good second car for families living in urban centres.

The EQ EV is available in one EV battery size (17.6 kWh). Given the positioning of the pure electric car as a city car, a 17.6 kWh EV battery size is more than appropriate. Do keep in mind, the smaller the EV battery, the lower the total weight of the electric vehicle (EV), and the greater the vehicle efficiency. It is this very logic that the Japanese automotive manufacturer, Honda has deployed for the all-electric Honda e city car.

The EQ electric car has a claimed pure electric range up to 130 km (WLTP). But of course, the electric range depends on a number of factors, to include: driving profile, road conditions, weather, onboard services used etc. Expect the real-world emission-free electric range to be lower than the claimed range and closer to 100 km for the EQ EV. This is certainly more than sufficient for city driving i.e. school runs, trip to the grocery store, local high street, work etc.

Zero-emission electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet. Pure electric cars help improve local air quality, a critical issue, given the continued alarming levels of pollution in our urban centres. A pure electric car has zero tailpipe emissions. Put another way, a pure electric car does not have a tailpipe/ exhaust! Driving on e-mode also helps save money. Electric driving is far cheaper, compared to driving a conventional petrol or diesel car!

The EQ electric car does not offer fast DC charging. This is not a concern, given the small size of the onboard EV battery. However, the EV does incorporate a three-phase 22 kW AC onboard charger. Given that most homes in India are powered by single-phase power supply, most of us will not be able to take advantage of the three-phase onboard charger. For this with access to three-phase (22 kW) charging at home or at work, the EV can be charged from 10% to 80% in a mere 40 minutes.

Single-phase (7.4 kW) EV charging will take longer. The EV can be charged up to 80% via a dedicated single-phase EV charger like myenergi zappi in 3 hours and 18 minutes. Though the EV can be charged via a domestic 3-PIN plug, we at e-zoomed do not encourage using a domestic plug for charging an electric car. The EV will take up to 8 hours and 30 minutes to charge up to 80% via a 3-PIN socket.

We at e-zoomed recommend charging overnight when the electricity prices are lower. We also recommend charging on a regular basis. This way charging times are reduced and regular charging is good for the long-term maintenance of the onboard EV battery. The manufacturer offers a 8 years/ 100,000 km warranty. 

Despite all the advantages of the Smart EQ Forfour in urban environments, the EV is limited by space and practicality. It offers a 150 L boot space, which is certainly small. Do not expect it to hold the family weekly grocery shopping!

Also, the rear seats can be a tight squeeze for taller individuals. Standard equipment includes: central locking with radio remote control, visual locking verification and immobiliser, electronic stability programme, rear parking aid with acoustic warning and reversing camera, hill start assist, instrument display with battery charge status display and power display, smart Connect Media-System and more.

In terms of performance, the rear-wheel drive EQ electric car can achieve 0-100 km/h in 12.7 seconds (maximum power: 82 hp/ torque: 160 Nm). The top speed for the EV is 130 km/h. Of course the electric car also benefits from instant torque.

Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet! The Smart EQ Forfour electric car is not available in India.

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PROS	CONS
Decent pure electric range for city driving needs	Rear space for passengers limited
22 kW onboard charger as standard	Limited boot space
Well suited for city driving. Easy to drive and park	Cheaper alternatives available

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The All-Electric Smart Forfour Hatchback (credit: Smart)

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At A Glance
EV Type:	Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Body Type:	Hatchback
Engine:	Electric
Available In India:	No

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Trims (1 Option)
Smart Forfour (Rs N/A)

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EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:	Lithium-ion
EV Battery Capacity:	Available in one battery size: 17.6 kWh
Charging:	DC charging not available. Onboard charger: 22 kW AC (10%-80%: 40 mins)
Charge Port:	Type 2
EV Cable Type:	Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:	0g (CO2/km)
Battery Warranty:	8 years or 100,000 km

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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Dimensions
Height (mm):	1554
Width (mm):	1665
Length (mm):	3495
Wheelbase (mm):	1873
Turning Circle (m):	9.05
Boot Space (L):	150

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Smart EQ Forfour
EV Battery Capacity:	17.6 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):	130 km
Electric Energy Consumption (kWh/100km):	17.0 – 17.1
Charging:	DC charging not available. Onboard charger: 22 kW AC (10%-80%: 40 mins)
Top Speed:	130 km/h
0-100 km/h:	12.7 seconds
Drive:	Rear-wheel drive (RWD)
Electric Motor (kW):	60
Max Power (HP):	82
Torque (Nm):	160
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	4
Doors:	5
Kerb Weight (kg):	1,200
Colours:	7
NCAP Safety Rating:	N/A

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Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): An Introduction

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V2G is an innovative bidirectional technology that allows the onboard EV battery to be charged and discharged i.e. electrical energy to be exported/ discharged from the onboard EV battery to the grid via a V2G compatible EV charger. It also allows for vital informational flow (data) to the grid. In effect, the V2G technology allows an EV battery to be used as a grid-connected energy storage unit.

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Benefits: V2G
Lower energy costs:	V2G can lower utility costs to include, lowering wholesale and retail energy costs
Improving the grid’s response ability:	V2G can improve the stability of the intra-day supply and demand needs, improving the grids ability to meet the needs of peak demand
Improving power quality:	V2G can improve power quality by controlling voltage and power factors
Increase resilience:	V2G can improve the resilience of the grid and electricity network in significantly adverse conditions
Increase use of renewable energy:	V2G enables an increase in the contribution of renewable energy to the national energy generation mix. The higher the contribution of RE, the greener the power supplied
Reduce cost of EV ownership:	V2G can reduce the cost of EV ownership by enabling EV owners to earn from exporting energy to the grid
Improves national energy security:	V2G can improve the national energy security of a country by reducing dependence on imported energy
Improve environmental impact:	V2G can improve the environmental impact of energy usage and transportation by reducing the dependence on fossil fuels

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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