Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 1:41pm PDT | Modified: July 7, 2010, 1:41 PM

Smart electric car coming to Portland Saturday

by Christina Williams
Sustainable Business Oregon

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The new electric Smart car — called the "fortwo electric drive" — will be available for test drive at the dealership in Portland Saturday.

Smart USA announced last month that Portland would be one of five target markets for the fleet of 250 test vehicles that will be available starting this fall.

Smart USA is owned by Daimler AG and is using battery technology from Tesla Motors in its electric drive cars.

The cars boast 30-killowatt drive motors powered by lithium-ion batteries. They can reach highway speeds with a range of 82 miles on a single charge. In addition, 95 percent of the car's parts are recyclable, according to company officials.

Smart USA counts 40,000 drivers of the company's fuel efficient two-seaters in the United States.

The electric version is already being tested in Europe and will enter Asia next year.

The Smart dealership for Portland is at 9215 S.W. Canyon Rd. To schedule a test drive of the electric fortwo on Saturday, July 10, contact Kate Requardt at 503-200-5200.