Dr. Claus Weidner, Chief Operating Officer, Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Limited, said, "As the in-ventor of automobile, our long-term ambition is to stimulate environmentally friendly technology development in Hong Kong, bringing in new technologies and emission-free mobility to build a greener Hong Kong."

smart is taking on a pioneering role in redefining green urban mobility, by making electric drive a practical alternative for mobility with zero local emissions. The vehicle is powered by a 30 kW electric motor fitted at the rear, which provides good acceleration and high agility with 120 Newton metres of torque immediately available. The smart electric drive can be fully charged in eight hours using a standard household socket with 16 amp fuse, and the fully charged battery has sufficient power to cover up to 135 kilometres, making it ideal for urban use.

With a length of just over two and a half metres, the extremely compact vehicle can park perpen-dicular to the flow of traffic. In addition, the space-saving and environmentally friendly two-seater has a fresh, youthful, modern and yet sophisticated design that makes it an automotive lifestyle icon showing that mobility, responsibility to the environment and joie de vivre are compatible with one another. The smart fortwo has established a class of its own.

Hong Kong's smart electric drive will be immediately identifiable with its distinctive design and the 'electric drive' moniker on the door, rear and mirror triangle.

A 30 kW magneto-electric motor is installed at the rear of the smart electric drive and reacts directly without delay. Powerful torque of 120 Newton metres is immediately available. This results in a surprising amount of power when pulling away. The smart electric drive accelerates from 0 - 60 km/h in 6.5 seconds – just as quickly as a petrol model which it initially leaves behind. The maxi-mum speed of the smart electric drive has been deliberately limited to 100 km/h, a suitable maxi-mum speed for the city.

The smart electric drive is powered by a lithium-ion battery which is simple to charge at any fused 220 Volt socket. Fully charged battery is sufficient for up to 135 kilometres of driving fun. This range is more than enough for city traffic as studies have shown that cars drive an average of 30 - 40 kilometres per day in towns and cities. For this, the vehicle only needs to be charged for three hours. At an average speed of 25 - 30 km/h that is normal in city traffic the smart electric drive can drive for around four to five hours continuously before it needs to be recharged. Plugging the car in overnight will fully recharge the battery for eight hours.

The smart electric drive is a smart fortwo that does not make any compromises with regard to safety, agility, comfort and space. The electric drive module does not limit the space available in the smart electric drive in any way; there is just as much interior and luggage compartment space as in a smart fortwo with a combustion engine.

The smart electric drive is based on the smart fortwo coupé with high quality equipment. As well as air conditioning with automatic temperature control and pre-air conditioning, tools include smart radio 9, electric power steering, electric windows, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, a two-spoke leather steering wheel, leather gear knob and 12-spoke alloy wheels.

Drivers can air condition their smart electric drive in advance as long as their vehicle is being charged – the long-standing dream of stationary cooling becomes a reality! No other car offers this comfortable option.

Vehicles in the Hong Kong pilot program will be serviced at one-year or 15,000km intervals.

Service support from Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Limited for pilot program partners will include a charging station at the after-sales services centre, a designated service centre in Quarry Bay, quali-fied mechanics and technicians trained in smart electric drive maintenance.

With the smart electric drive, the brand is underlining its pioneering role on the road, offering at-tractive individual mobility with no local emissions in cities and urban areas.