Smart EVs return to Australia

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Smart order books to open in July

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Tesla Tom of Ludicrous Feed attends the Australian launch of Smart #3 and Smart #1 and is part of an EV convoy from Brisbane to Byron Bay. There is a little too much time spent on hotels and food for my liking, but it did set the mood somewhat. It was on one of Brisbane's recent cloudless and beautiful but hot days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRmsRl-Jihk



At the end, he stays in a villa where there is a video of the world wide launch of the Smart #5. That will be a separate video.

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However, the Electric Viking is not so sure of the value. This video is mostly about the Smart #3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ0rqR5f3Ro



Not surprisingly after the EV convoy recently, there are a slew of other Smart #3 and presumably Smart #1 videos; just search YouTube.

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Tesla Tom's Smart #5 video. I haven't had a chance to watch this one as yet. The Electric Viking mentioned crazy fast charging for the Smart #5, in the above video. [ Edit: It's 10-80% of 100 kWh in 15 min, so that's 70 kWh / 0.25h = 280 kW. Quit respectable, but not really "crazy fast". Sam (Electric Viking) suggested 500 kW at one point. ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYv99nC ... cnQgIzU%3D

[T1 Terry]

Not well thought out for the AU market, why would you want a full glass roof in a country that will quite happily fry your brains in the mid day sun? The turn signal noise would send me over the edge between calm and turn that B thing off well before I was out of the city, same with the annoying over speed warning.
It looked like you would need to be short to drive the #3, but the #1 looked cramped and still with that stupid full length sun roof .... Hope the #5 is a better combination.
Had to watch at least half of the video at 2x speed to get through his promo for how well Mercedes had looked after him as far as accommodation and food and little presents ...... never got below 1.25x speed, just so I could stay awake to see the end

T1 Terry

[T1 Terry]

I couldn't stomach watching the whole #5 launch. Why would you use a Chinese accented vehicle to get an Aust potential buyers interest. Aussies aren't interested in video screens that go the full width of the dash, use a RHD vehicle to demo in a RHD country.
Why use a presenter with a German accent to sell how carefully designed the body is ..... on a clearly Chinese build car, it's like Volvo using a Swedish accent woman to sell you on the Chinese built Volvo, do they really think that sort of nonsense fools the average EV buyer?
Selling a vehicle because it has a 20 speaker sound system, like a head banger kid is gunna have enough money to buy it, sell it on the range and charging speed, now that is impressive.
I wonder what the Aust delivered product will look like?

T1 Terry

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why would you want a full glass roof in a country that will quite happily fry your brains in the mid day sun?

At least two of the models have a fully retractable opaque cover, so fried brains is optional.