Smart to release #1 with smaller battery

Smart has announced a new basic version of the #1. The new variant is called #1 Pro and costs 5,000 euros less than the previous entry-level model #1 Pro+ - in Germany, 37,490 euros to be precise. In terms of technology, however, the difference is much greater than the '+' in the model name.

In order to achieve the 5,000 euro price difference, Smart did not save on the standard equipment, but on the largest cost block of an electric car: the battery. The #1 Pro not only gets a smaller battery with 49 kWh gross or 47 kWh net capacity (compared to 66 kWh gross or 62 kWh net capacity in the other variants), but also a cheaper cell chemistry: NMC cells are installed in the 66 kWh battery, whereas the new 49 kWh battery pack contains LFP cells. The supplier of the cells is not named. The WLTP range of the #1 Pro is 310 kilometres.

The new LFP pack is charged with up to 130 kW at DC charging stations. According to Smart, the battery is charged in less than 30 minutes “in optimal condition” – this probably means the usual charging window from ten to 80 per cent. The AC charging capacity of the new base model is not specified in the press release.

There are no changes to the powertrain: the base model also has a peak output of 200 kW. Since the base model is also intended to be “like the other lines, oriented towards the demands of the premium class”, it comes with two-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, 19-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights.

According to Smart, the #1 Pro can be ordered from “mid-autumn 2023”, starting in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. It will then be successively introduced in the other European Smart markets by spring 2024.

With the lower base price and the LFP battery, Smart wants to reach a new customer segment. “We are more than happy to be able to live up to the expectations of urban drivers, who focus more on practical things like a good body-to-space ratio, and for whom a range of around 300 Kilometers is absolutely sufficient,” says Dirk Adelmann, CEO of Smart Europe “The #1 Pro is a car for environmentally conscious city dwellers and commuters who can’t do without the premium quality and all-electric approach of the #1.”

smart.com