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Car2Go expands service in New York City

New York City residents can expect to see even more blue-and-white Smart Fortwos buzzing around the Big Apple because the Daimler-owned Car2Go carsharing service is expanding into Queens starting August 29. The growth means that those in Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside, and Sunnyside can now rent the little hatchbacks by the minute. To support the expected new users, Car2Go is adding 100 more Smarts to the fleet in the area to bring the total to 550. The carsharing service launched in trendy Brooklyn in October 2014 and has seen success with over 27,000 members logging more than 250,000 trips. By expanding into Queens, Car2Go is trying to offer an easier way to travel between the two boroughs without having to go through busy Manhattan. The added locations also take the company's service area in NYC up to 44 square miles, eight-square-miles larger than before. Related Video: car2go Opens A Road To Queens With One-Way Carsharing Expansion Will Improve Cross-Borough Access Between Brooklyn and Queens and Extend the Reach of Public Transit car2go to Bring 100 smart Vehicles to Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside and Sunnyside Beginning August 29th NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- car2go N.A., LLC announced today that it will bring its popular one-way carsharing service to Long Island City, Astoria, Woodside and Sunnyside in Queens, New York beginning August 29th. On the heels of exponential growth in Brooklyn, car2go will be making it easier for members to explore several Queens neighborhoods, and travel to and from Brooklyn at their own convenience. The move represents an important step toward an outer-Manhattan carsharing system, representing a new mobility option for the diverse and vibrant communities that are less accessible via public transit. CLICK TO TWEET: car2go expands to Queens (LIC, Astoria, Woodside & Sunnyside) on 8/29 - sign up at http://c2g.cc/qXpjQr w/ promo code QUEENS "Since the twilight of the trolley system many decades ago, there really hasn't been a reliable option for New Yorkers to travel between Brooklyn and Queens without going all the way through Manhattan," said car2go Brooklyn General Manager Tom McNeil. "Queens is a bustling hub of cultures, small businesses, international cuisine and affordable housing opportunities that have long been a challenge to access.

Smart spotted testing new Brabus Fortwo

By now AMG has produced versions of just about everything Mercedes makes, right down to the A-Class, CLA and GLA. But while even the smallest of Benzes have fallen under Affalterbach's knife, Daimler's performance division steers clear of the Smart brand and its products. For that, the German automaker collaborates with another legendary Silver Star tuner.
Brabus first worked its magic on the original Smart Fortwo in 2003, packing a warmed-over 700cc engine with 74 horsepower along with upgraded aero and rolling stock. The second-generation Brabus model took things further with a 101-hp 1.0-liter engine and other go-fast(er) goodies. And now that the new Fortwo is upon us, it looks like Brabus is at it again.
Spied with a camo wrap but no visible body cladding, the new Brabus city car is expected to pack more of a punch than its predecessors, with estimates ranging from 105 to 120 hp - which may not be much for most cars, but promises to transform the Smart into something more aggressive, especially when paired with a sportier suspension, dual exhaust and aero kit.

Daimler eMERGE2 test proves ignorance breeds dislike of EVs

Out with the old EVs, in with the new. Daimler announced today that it has finished up the eMERGE electric vehicle project that used Smart Fortwo Electric Drive cars and will now start up eMERGE2, which will use Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive and PHEV vehicles. As before, the tests will take place in Germany. The first, just-finished eMERGE program ran from May 2013 to June 2015 and put over a million kilometers (621,000 miles) onto 146 Smart Fortwo EDs. Daimler said that over the two years, the vehicle with the most efficient annual energy consumption used just 10.4 kWh for all of its 100 kilometers. The best full-charge range over the year was 161 kilometers (100 miles). Perhaps most interesting, though, was one of the projects findings: "the less an interviewee knew about electric mobility, the more negative their opinion" about the technology. In other words, here's some more proof that getting "butts in seats," as it were, is one reasonable way to promote electric driving. eMERGE: key contribution to developing the mobility of the future Stuttgart/Berlin, Jul 30, 2015 Broad-based real-world trial of eMERGE project completed Especially for daily distances of 50 km or over the E-car is financially attractive eMERGE2 fleet project now launching with 200 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive and plug-in hybrid models Stuttgart/Berlin – After more than one million kilometres in two years – from May 2013 to June 2015 – the real-world trial of electric cars known as eMERGE has been completed. Those taking part in the project were private and business customers with 146 smart fortwo electric drive cars from Berlin, Potsdam and North Rhine-Westphalia. Some of them set records: the lowest average energy consumption over one year was 10.4 kWh/100 km, while the longest range was 161 kilometres. The smart fortwo electric drive is certified with a consumption of 16.3 kWh/100 km and a range of 145 kilometres. The broad-based field trial within the framework of the eMERGE project has not only provided information on user behaviour and e-car technology; it also studied intelligent charging systems for improving the utilisation of the power supply as well as various pricing systems with regard to customer acceptance. Based on transport models, the project partners examined the need for a publicly available charging infrastructure. Within the project Daimler was responsible for collecting the driving and charging data required for evaluation of the field trial.