Inspired by a concept that bowed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the two-wheeler will very likely wear the name escooter when it makes its debut. It is aimed at both the European and the North American market.
Smart says that the escooter's top speed will be limited to 28 miles per hour but a more powerful variant is likely to join the lineup shortly after.
The all-electric two-wheeler will have a range of about 60 miles. It will take anywhere from three to five hours to fully recharge when plugged in to a standard domestic outlet.
The escooter will inaugurate an innovative and slightly complicated brake energy recuperation system. The brake lever mounted on the handlebar will only apply pressure to the front wheel's hydraulic caliper. When the electric motor senses that the scooter is slowing down, it immediately starts spinning the other way and turns into a generator that recharges the battery. When that happens, the rear brake is applied electronically.
A full set of details and pricing information will be available closer to the scooter's launch. The escooter will be smart's third electric model, after the ebike and the fortwo electric drive.
Electric two-wheelers are very popular in China and other parts of Asia but they have yet to catch on in Europe and in North America.
