2016 SMART fortwo Electric Drive Photos, engines & full specs

The German automaker SMART introduced an electric version of its smallest vehicle, the fortwo, in the autumn of 2016 at the Paris Motor Show and started sales in the same year in the U.S. and in Europe in 2017.

Mercedes-Benz still owned the brand when it introduced the third generation of the tiny two-door vehicle. Only this time, it worked closely with Renault to share the development costs. In addition, it benefited from the French automaker's experience in electric vehicle construction, so the fortwo also got an electron-powered version.

From the outside, the electric version of the fortwo featured the same shape as the internal-combustion-engined sibling with a very short front. Strangely, the automaker kept a mesh grille even though it didn't need that much cooling area. Moreover, the motor was in the back. The big bumper featured fog lights on its outer lower sides. From the side, as in the first SMART ForTwo generation, the safety cell featured a different color than the rest of the car's panels.

Inside the car, there were two seats, as usual, but with plenty of room for the occupants. An unusual design for the dashboard showed a speedometer in front of the driver and two additional gauges on top of it in the middle. On the center stack, an optional infotainment touchscreen was installed. The small trunk space could have been extended by folding down the passenger seat seatback.

Unlike its IAC brother, the electric-powered version received a 60 kW (80 hp) motor fed by a 17.6 kWh battery pack. That package was enough for the daily travels of most customers since the car could cover 99 miles (110 km) on a single charge. In addition, it could've been charged from zero to 100% in just a few hours from a regular, 7kWh wall-box.