What’s It Like To Daily Drive A Giant Electric Lemon? 

Great presentation! on a car I never heard of or cared about,,,, but somehow you did a good job with it!

This is the exact kind of guy I would expect to drive an electric smart car. Love it

I also have the 2015 EV and I agree, it is really, really fun to drive and very quirky. As a second car, for commuting, it's perfect and I wouldn't want anything else. Super fun to accelerate from dead stop and more head room than a Prius. One thing that I never hear about that I think is a huge benefit, is the viewability. It's like driving a bubble, you can see everything all around you much more so than in larger vehicles.

Never thought it would be a chick magnet.😕

Cars like this have huge potential as the '2nd car' for most households. Cheap to own, cheap to operate, fun to drive.

I have a Ford Focus Electric with a 76 mile EPA range. It has been fantastic and *far* more useful than I anticipated. It’s rare that I drive more than 50 miles in one day, so I don’t run into problems with the range. A really fun car to drive too. I also appreciate the mention of Level 1 charging working just fine. A lot fewer people really need Level 2 charging than you might think.

As far as the second generation (2008-2014) gas models go, it takes longer to learn how to drive smoothly than it takes to learn how to drive a manual transmission smoothly from scratch. It can actually take several months to a couple years to drive it smoothly, but once you get the hang of it, there are few other cars as fun to drive! My 2009 Smart Fortwo was the most fun, most reliable car I’ve ever had, and I’m in my 60’s. I did though just recently trade it in for a newer model.

I've had my Smart ED for 3 years and I have 65,000 miles on it, great car!!

What the heck is an electric cartoon? Oh, wait. An electric car tune....

I like how you bring knowledge about cars people usually dismiss. Usually people bash things but it comes from not knowing. When electric cars came about everyone complained about range. Then EV enthusiasts argued that most don't need more than "x" miles. So then other carmakers brought out EVs then those same apparent enthusiasts, particularly tesla ones, bashed the other carmakers for their range.

Thanks Tommy. Great video. TFL has swayed me so many ways in the last year or so, it’s amazing.

I have one. I love it honestly. Quirky but effective car

excellent review. I applaud your choice of buying a Smart car. I want a Smart for a long time. and this video makes me want it even more . cheers !

I'm 6'5" and enjoyed our smarts since 2009. Converted both to the solid roof after the panoramic shade wore out.

Besides the content being interesting(would like to know how many of those girls were your age and phone #'s you got.. haha)the quality of video was almost like it was LIVE. Hard to explain. Like there was no filters, no editing degradation. Live stream quality. What ever you filmed with and the setting, use it more often.

Great presentation. Enjoyed every second of it.

Love the vid, and on a side note, Colorado is so gorgeous! Please keep doing vids outside like this, beautiful area.

Absolutely love your vids Tommy 🙂. The content and presentation is super excellent. Quick aside, I have a feeling you and I where the same shoe size.

Thank you! Just got this car and needed a run through

Damn, prices on these babies are about to go up the way you're selling it. I WANT ONE!

Everyone is overpricing the 1st Gen electric cars right now. They're still worth only 5-7k, but resellers are asking for 12k. Its a combination of a bad used market, inflation, overcharging dealers, and a growing interest in cheaper EV's since most nice ones are way outside peoples price ranges. Oh, and a typical shipping pallet is 48x48, which will not fit in a smart.

Roman can begin vising local parks and start his lawn bowling career as Tommy has been doing a great job the past few months. :-)

Great review

Now I feel better buying one of these used

BEST OF ALL.....IT'S SO SMALL THAT'S THERE ALMOST NO CHANCE OF YOU BACKING IT INTO A GARAGE DOOR JAMB

We have a 2014 Smart Fortwo electric drive and I do agree 100% with your comments! It is the best car for city driving. Even today after about only 30,000 km, the battery is still in excellent shape. The only problem we have is that with this 2014 version, there is no way to turn off the traction control (except by removing a specific fuse), so during the Winter we cannot use this car to access our property with its too steep driveway.

I had one of the first Smarts in the country back in 2007, very interested in grabbing an E smart just for fun now.

wish we had video of the Smart/Tundra race... i would have laughed my ass off if i had seen that

The only problem I have when a reviewer who is hotter than the car is paying attention to the actual review. All kidding aside, excellent review that will help me choose the right EV for my needs.

Make sure you always have enough charge to get home, or have a contingency plan to spend the night. Otherwise if planning to charge during the day at work, for example, you might come out after a tiring day and find someone had unplugged you or the charger had been shutdown during the day, making for a long night.

I just put a transmission in one. The seals are starting to go on them. The dealer says there are no axles seals available so you just replace the whole transmission. It was pretty easy and only weighed about the same as my 50lbs dog. I would like to see if regular gas smart car seals fit. The electric motor is also coolant cooled. Things I would look out for now is hose life(rubber organics), coolant flush, and a brake fluid flush. The brakes are hydraulic dot4. I also feel like the electric version handles better with the weight down lower and longer. The first gen gas smart cars with the Mercedes logo on the front had a lot of body flex. The electric smart car is THE smart car to own.

What in the world is Nathan doing over your shoulder at 2:10, funny.

US models only charge at 3,3 Kilowatt 5:40 in six hours or so, but Euro models have an optional three phase 22 kW charger that will full charge in 40 minutes, making road trips possible. Thats why the 17,6 kWh battery and charger are liquid cooled. This Smart generation called ED3 was introduced in 2012 before there was CCS fast charging, or Tesla NACS, so it has AC only, Type1 in the US, Type2 in Europe. Some aftermarkets companies seem to work on cell swaps, for higher capacity and higher efficiency. The original cells were Made in Germany, very safe with ceramic separator at still at 90% SOH after a decade, but outdated by now.

Tommy, where did you get the Steinbauer module? According to their website, it's not available in the US.

Great Video 💪🏼 what year is that smart ?

The Tweetster returns...Long live Tweety!

Glad to see Tweety is doing OK!

I had a 2015 Nissan Leaf for 4 years and absolutely loved it. It was my daily driver, and my wife drove it on the weekends. Together, we drove it 1000 miles a month for $30.00 in electricity. Driving it on short trips to Walmart, Target, etc, and on the weekends instead of her gas car saved us $30.00 in gas, which paid for the electricity for the Leaf. I will own another electric car.

having driven one of these in yellow can confirm lots of attention including from the ladies my swedish girlfriend at the time loved the smart

My 2007 Smart Fortwo of the same generation has a range of 5-600 imperial miles on a full tank of petrol and takes a few minutes to refill its tank of around 38 litre.

I drove one of the gas ones for work for almost two years. The transmission was the worst - like riding with someone who just learned how to drive stick! Also, when trying to pull out in to traffic on a busy 35mph road, it could never get the correct gear. Luckily, the transmission was shiftable, but it was quite unnerving getting to 25mph and the car not wanting to go any faster because of the gear the transmission chose when everyone was driving 40.

I kind of want one!

The gas one would be fun if you did a motorbike engine swap. Ive seen some people in the UK have done it. If I ever have money to burn Ill do it and share it with you guys

Great video! I live up in Loveland with my 90 year old dad, and I find myself never driving more than 5 miles in a day and 52 miles for rare Greeley trips. All this makes me think that my 2017 Subaru Forester, which gets great mileage, is a mechanical albatross that consumes dinosaur juice and requiring a heck of a lot more maintenance such as oil and filter changes, emissions checks, spark plugs.

This would be a perfect around-town car for me but they are very few and far between in Sweden and the used ones for sale are super expensive.. There are Nissan Leafs and Renault Zoes from around the same model year for less money.

What it’s like to drive..... but there was zero driving lol. I thought you were going to show us a daily driving vlog?👍🏼🤞🏼

This car would’ve been great when I lived in LA. But now I live in a rural community and it’s 45 miles one way to the big city.

I really would like if you could made a video on how to tow the smart car if the battery was to go out

Can it run extended range if a gas generator is mounted to the rear on a cargo hitch and the car is plugged into it?

I know a “couple months” and “1,000 miles” is long term for you guys...but not really for the rest of us. That’s technically still considered initial quality range.

Ok you mean Lemon 🍋 as the actual Fruit, and not Lemon as defect

Would love to see a video of the car being driven 👍

I'm looking at this at the tail end of 2022 and I'm shocked that you said you could get these for between $5000 and $7500. I'm seeing 2018s list for $18,000. Outrageous!

Not to alarm you Tommy, but it looks like a sniper might be after you at the 7:23 mark.

I own one, and love it, but be prepared to be bullied on the road. Apparently, it's a major inconvenience having a Smart car in front of you. And with no back seat or trunk worth speaking about, the truck or semi casting a large shadow behind you is quite literally inches away.

I’ve always owned smart cars.. Now I have a fiat 500 and guess what.. I want a smart again! 😁💪🏼

Is your car named WOODSTOCK? How will it do on the Ike Gauntlet towing a trailer?

And now, thanks to your last video. I'm doing research into seeing how big a fuel cell would be needed to run that thing on city streets. A full stack that meets the demands of the electric motors max draw would be hilariously expensive, and wasteful. So I'm thinking a combination of a cell just just large enough to handle the demand 80% of the time +25% and a battery to step in with small boosts for when you need wide open throttle power. The only cell I've found makes about 3 horsepower under the best conditions and costs $129 so not encouraging.

What about the i3?

Great reviewing, Tommy! If my commute wouldn't be a long trip, I would consider buying a used one. My average round trip usually 80 miles. When for working, usually 100-200 miles per day.

Kinda suckered me in to find out how bad a lemon this car really was. But it was just the color of the car you were talking about. Good one. But it was basically an interesting vid.

5:05 For second I thought you were going to get yourself, many pallet loads of what now..... ;)

if my golf clubs fit wouldn't have to rent a cart but other than that don't see the point , ok it probably has a super high crash test rating but we know that's only if it hits another one ... they should all come in lemon color so you know what your getting

I'm so sorry you had to drive that everyday

It's not lemon yellow. It's banana yellow. Thanks for showing the cargo space, that was my most persistent question.

Tommy where's my crazy donut video??

Hey TFL check jeeps Instagram on their recent post they have a Jeep Wrangler with a 392 marked on the hood!!!!

How much and where can I order that horn

Tommy, do "Chick magnet and Smart EV" belong in the same sentence? Lol

All Nissan Leafs still have air cooled or better said passively cooled battery pack, which is not good...

When are you turning it into an off-roader?

I own a 2015 smart 451 fortwo along with a Kia hybrid.i totally get if you go on cartrader or eBay auto you can pick up a used 2016-2018 electric smart for 13k with only a couple thousand milea but Mercedes is expensive to service and buy parts. Just paid $1,100 for a new speedometer they had to get from Germany since they no longer import also insurance/registration would go better for a Hybred Preus then a elect car with a distance of 65 miles (an hour driving). Very expensive toy

Can you tow that car to charge it?

Hm, my average drive to were I go and back is 120 miles, dont think the smarts for me. Maybe a Mirage is.

Can that smart car fit in the back of a cybertruck?

Cool :)

EU version charges with up to 3 phase 22kW

Did he say pallet of cocaine?

i have one its not the cars ITS THE CHARGERS and by that i mean the so called "Destionation Chargers" theyre arent any..... and im in Los Angeles as long as you have a 110v outlet to plug it into at night you set

an efficient small pack is far better than a larger pack with a big charger

Until they dont upgrade those smart cars with the new electric motors PMSM it does not fit my expectations.🤔

Yeah, most girls don't care about power. They care that it's 'cute'. Screw that, I don't buy a car for girls to think it's 'cute'. I buy it to get from point A to point B and if it's fast and/or sounds good, that's a bonus.

I am a big fan of these short-range cheap EVs. You can do much more electric driving than you realize, and they are so much fun! I would caution folks that you will not be doing 50 miles round trip in the winter in this one. If you want to do that you'll need a Fiat 500e, which is nearly twice the car this one is and for the same price! Tommy, please trade up, we would love to see more cheap EV reviews!

are you guys still turning it into an offroader?

I love your videos but with this one I felt Your comments on the Leaf battery issues were massively misleading and a bit unfair. There is nothing wrong with air cooling the battery packs unless you intend to push their design envelope especially when it comes to rapid charging. I don't think Nissan's original battery design was intended to see Rapid charging. I believe Nissan felt they had to add that capability as a selling point to attract more buyers. Since the average daily commuter drives only 30 miles each day I believe the early Leafs were intended to be simple commuter cars, a vehicle that needed only to be charged at home with Level 1 or 2 chargers. For that purpose they could be expected to perform admirably even in Arizona. Problems arose when owners began subjecting them to extended periods of high speed driving above 80 mph (which heats the battery packs significantly), then stopping frequently at Rapid DC chargers (which would subsequently heat the battery packs even further). Subjecting the early Leafs to this scenario often enough would cause them to experience premature capacity loss. Subjecting them to this scenario in areas with ambient heat over 95F (think Arizona's 115F daytime highs), and battery core temperatures could easily rise into the red zone and cause significant premature capacity loss well before 50,000 miles. Indeed, the vast majority of battery capacity loss issues occurred in places like Arizona and other areas with extreme heat by owners who admitted to driving them hard and frequently using Rapid DC chargers. Also as purported EV experts you perhaps shouldn't have presented such arguments without mentioning how much Nissan's decision to use such a tiny 24kWh battery played in it's longevity issues. IMHO Nissan's biggest mistake wasn't that they avoided active thermal management, it was in choosing to use such a tiny battery and allowing charging to 100% (especially bad when rapid charging). 24kWh battery packs were simply too small. At best the early Leaf batteries might return 1000 "full" charge cycles but with only 75 miles per charge cycle owners would need to be constantly recharging them to get any usefulness out of them. Owners were lucky to reach 75,000 miles before experiencing significant capacity loss (even if never Rapid charged). I realize that for economic reasons Nissan had little choice but to use a 24kWh battery but I think it's safe to say that had Nissan used a larger battery pack, governed top speed to 75 mph, provided no option for rapid charging and configured their BMS so that it would not allow 100% of the battery to be charged (as all manufacturers now do), we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. Now, using a much larger and more heat tolerant battery chemistry, along with a now "bug free" BMS software, I think Nissan's air cooled battery packs can be expected to last a very long life. This is especially true for owners that rely almost entirely on Level 1 or 2 charging and rarely need to use rapid charging. Sorry but I feel it's only fair that Nissan's Leaf be presented in a more accurate light.

From my experience, most of the electric car haters have had very little, if any extended time with one. They are objectivity better than ICE cars. One just has to learn, and slightly adapt to them.

I don’t believe the smart electric is a lemon to own because I own one and it does perfectly for me to get back and forth from work on a daily basis. Now if it is yellow it does look a lot like a lemon on wheels. I own a level two charger and charges quick and easy. Mine is a 2018 model and I love it. I put around 40 miles a day.

But it seems like everyone that has one around here has the Chihuahua syndrome so they think they are like in a big truck and pull right out in front of bigger vehicles , I have 2 quad cab ram 1500’s and almost t boned a few of them The people who drive them don’t look or don’t care if trucks are coming .

lol.. couldn't fix the booger?

a pallet of coke... and pepsi

Jfc he’s so cute

what about the ride? why dont you show?

This guy is so Hot

CAN WE SAY CRAP CAR NOT A CAR A CART CAN NOT GET TO TOWN WITH THIS DO YOU NOT KNOW THERE WAS A WAR TO KEEP THIS CRAP OUT

Different strokes for different folks - To me, this is a tin can death trap.

It just looks uncomfortable to drive lol I would expect everyone would want space and maneuverability right?

Look , this video lacks all of the important information??? How long to charge from a commercial charger We’re you able to quick charge it? How far did you go before it told you you were close to dead What app did you use to find charge points etc…..

I would rather drive around town in a literal bag of dogshit then be caught dead driving that stupid POS car.