2010 Smart will run on electricity

It looks like the year 2010 will indeed be groundbreaking for the automotive industry as major players -Volkswagen, Chevrolet and BMW among them- are going to introduce their first mass-market electric-powered vehicles. Citing Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, Reuters says that in 2010 German Daimler plans to start selling an EV version of a Mercedes-Benz and an electric-powered Smart supermini.



It is still unclear, on which terms and at what price the electric Smart will be sold. Daimler's chief executive Dieter Zetsche told the newspaper that the price will depend on whether the vehicle's battery will be leased or sold with the car. However, "the willingness (on the part of consumers) to pay more is limited," he said, so there is a good chance that the car will come at a competitive price well south of the $30,000 mark.

At this time, Daimler has a fleet of 100 first-generation electric-powered Smart cars running in London.

See also: Official: 2007 Smart ForTwo will start at $11,590