Mercedes runs out of replacement batteries for the Smart ED3

There are apparently no longer any replacement batteries available for fully electric Smarts from the 451 series, which were built between 2012 and 2015 and are also known as Smart ED3. Instead, Mercedes-Benz, Smart's parent company at the time, refers to a repair solution from a third-party provider.

Mercedes-Benz demonstrated its pioneering spirit around 13 years ago with the Smart ED3: it was one of the first mass-produced electric cars in Europe. At the same time, the ED3 was the first fully electric Smart to go on sale to the general public, following on from the ED1 and ED2 models, which had been produced in small series for fleet trials. The abbreviation ED stands for Electric Drive.

Now, however, there appears to be a massive problem with the supply of spare parts for the ED3: according to various reports, there are no longer any suitable replacement batteries available for the model, of which around 16,000 units were built in Hambach, France. Initially, Mercedes was able to replace defective batteries with new ones without any problems under warranty or through its rental battery programme. But that is now apparently no longer possible.

Since 2019, Mercedes has reportedly stopped installing new batteries when replacing batteries, instead using batteries made from ‘mixed cells’. Moritz Leicht from the specialist blog ‘Smart Emotion’ has experienced this first-hand. He reported: “These come from batteries that already had weak cells and were completely replaced by Mercedes. The weak cells were then packed into large storage units and the ones that were still good were strung together to form new battery modules.”

Now, however, none of these reconditioned batteries are available anymore. And new batteries are certainly not available either. When asked by Spiegel Online, Mercedes-Benz did not want to confirm that the batteries for the Smart 451 series had completely run out. However, a ‘repair solution’ for faulty Smart batteries has been developed in collaboration with an external service provider, a Mercedes spokesperson told Spiegel Online. This apparently involves Bosch workshops, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Some independent workshops specialising in electric cars, such as EV Clinic in Berlin, can also help repair damaged batteries, regardless of the manufacturer. Moritz Leicht from ‘Smart Emotion’ had his Smart ED3 repaired there: three damaged cells were replaced for 900 euros. Afterwards, the remaining capacity rose again from 75 to 95 per cent.

Unfortunately, it has become apparent in recent years that the battery capacity of the high-voltage battery in the Smart ED3 can suddenly drop. This is often related to a defective 12-volt battery, which is used to start the vehicle and provide lighting. The problem causes the high-voltage battery to become deeply discharged, which can irreversibly damage the cells.

The battery cells for the ED3 were produced in Germany by Li-Tec, a joint venture between Evonik and Daimler, in Kamenz. In 2014, Daimler took over the cell production completely, but stopped it at the end of 2015. This is probably another reason why there are no longer any replacement batteries for the ED3, as stocks have been depleted.

smart-emotion.de, spiegel.de, t-online.de (all in German)