Just curious. Its very possibly our next vehicle in 2015/16 and wondering if any motorhomers are towing an ED Smart on a trailer and how its working out for them. Thanks in advance.

gotsmart does HERE just click away!!!

IAMICHABOD wrote:gotsmart does HERE just click away!!!Thanks for the input but I think his is an ICE machine like ours and I think he tows four down. We are more interested in the electric version which I don't think can be towed four down. We already have the trailer. We are thinking that the 90 mile range of the electric would be fine for us as a toad because we always seem to be within that when we travel in our existing diesel smart, They are getting older though (10 years this year) and we are thinking ahead to a replacement for at least one of them.

90 mile range is probably optimistic and assumes low speeds and no climate control.EPA rating is 68 and it might be less at 65+ mph or in hill country.Primary reference is 39,000 miles on my LEAF. Search for what real drivers say.

smkettner wrote:90 mile range is probably optimistic and assumes low speeds and no climate control.EPA rating is 68 and it might be less at 65+ mph or in hill country.Primary reference is 39,000 miles on my LEAF. Search for what real drivers say.Yah I suspect your right. Many in the smart community are achieving low 80's with regularity but I suspect counting on low 70's is more realistic. Having said that, 70 is more than we would need 95 percent of the time. By the way, we loved our test drive in the leaf. Just bigger than we need and of course we already have the trailer for the smart. Time will tell.

My 2009 smart is an ICE model (internal combustion engine). It is a gasser only, not a hybrid. There is a discussion over at the smart Car of America user forum about flat towing the ED model (electric drive).It would appear to be that the ED cannot be flat towed for long distance as noted in the 2013 ED owners manual:The vehicle may be towed only fordistances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at aspeed not to exceed 30 mph (50 km/h).Otherwise, the electric drive or thehigh-voltage system could be damaged.Note the speed and distance restrictions.

Anybody towing an Electric Smart car as a toad yet.

John___Angela
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
jauguston wrote:
John,

Would I be correct in assuming your Smart diesel is registered in Canada? My understanding is it will not meet US EPA specs and cannot be registered in the US.

Jim

It's not that it wouldn't meet EPA standards so much as it has never been certified for the US market. The CDI is still the cleanest burning motor on the market. We have three CDI's and we would only consider changing out one. I just like the idea of driving the electric Cabrio model. It's more of a want to have than a need to have. My plan is to use the excuse that the car is now 10 years old and of course needs replacing. Just have to convince Angela now. :).
jauguston
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
John,

Would I be correct in assuming your Smart diesel is registered in Canada? My understanding is it will not meet US EPA specs and cannot be registered in the US.

Jim
Snowman9000
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
Dibs on your diesel!
:-)
:-)
rjstractor
Nomad
Sep 19, 2013
Just did a quick look on Wikipedia, looks like the electric version weighs about 300 pounds more than the gas.
John___Angela
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
smkettner wrote:
Also verify weight of the EV is compatible with the trailer rating.

Very good point I hadn't thought of. I have about 500 pounds of axle capacity left. Actually a little under. Hmmmmm. Guess I could always upgrade the axle.
tomousecap
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
smkettner wrote:
Also verify weight of the EV is compatible with the trailer rating.

X2 - Our Chevy Volt weighs in at 4000 Lbs with me in the drivers seat adding 219 Lbs. The battery pack weighs around 400 Lbs plus.

:)
time2roll
Nomad
Sep 19, 2013
Also verify weight of the EV is compatible with the trailer rating.
gotsmart
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
I believe that the ED has the same width, length, and wheelbase as the ICE. Call a smart dealer. Tell them you have a smart-specific car trailer and are considering trading in your ICE model for an ED. Ask them if the ED has the same dimensions and footprint as the ICE.
John___Angela
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
gotsmart wrote:
My 2009 smart is an ICE model (internal combustion engine). It is a gasser only, not a hybrid. There is a discussion over at the smart Car of America user forum about flat towing the ED model (electric drive).

It would appear to be that the ED cannot be flat towed for long distance as noted in the 2013 ED owners manual:
The vehicle may be towed only for
distances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph (50 km/h).
Otherwise, the electric drive or the
high-voltage system could be damaged.

Note the speed and distance restrictions.

Thanks for posting. Yah I suspect if we do this we'll just continue to tow on our trailer. I think the dimensions are compatible with our existing trailer.
gotsmart
Explorer
Sep 19, 2013
My 2009 smart is an ICE model (internal combustion engine). It is a gasser only, not a hybrid. There is a discussion over at the smart Car of America user forum about flat towing the ED model (electric drive).

It would appear to be that the ED cannot be flat towed for long distance as noted in the 2013 ED owners manual:
The vehicle may be towed only for
distances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph (50 km/h).
Otherwise, the electric drive or the
high-voltage system could be damaged.

Note the speed and distance restrictions.