2013 Smart ForTwo Electric

[papasin]

I guess this is more of a built log. I've gotten kinda bad at documenting, both being a bit lazy and just not having very much time and focusing on trying to get things done when I do have a little time. I've had this car for almost two years now, and the build has been off and on. But it's more or less done, well, as done as things tend to get.

I'm sure the question will come up if this is a replacement to the Civic, and the answer is no. The motivation for this car is two fold. One, the primary use is to go to and from work, with the electric allowing me to use the carpool lane all the time in CA. While I don't live in LA, in the SF Bay Area, during peak rush hour traffic, the carpool sticker is worth a pretty solid premium. The second, was a fairly hefty tax break in a tax year that we could use it. We got a pretty decent amount from both the federal and the state, that made it almost too good to pass up.

Unless I'm mistaken, this will be the first all electric build on this site. Now, there were other electric cars we considered. And before anyone thinks about the Tesla, it boils down to that car being just way too expensive. The Fiat 500E was a consideration, but both availability and price differential with the Smart was still a fair amount. Ultimately, I went with a platform that I guess you could say I'm somewhat familiar with.

Anyway, so on to the build.

Came home in July 2013.







We bought the car from the San Francisco Smart dealership. That's a good 40 miles or so away from where we live. Our first bout with range anxiety was the day we drove it off the dealership lot. As it turns out, that fear was quickly dispelled. When we got home, it still had half the charge, so the advertised range of about 70-80 miles is just about right.

[papasin]

First mod, was actually non-audio. Again, having a car in our garage that is almost a clone, the first thing I heavily dislike is the OEM tires (and in the similar vein the stock rims). From experience, swapping this out improves handling and ride feel significantly IME. Surprisingly, there are actually quite a few different choices for this vehicle thanks to a company in Southern California called Smart Madness that imports a lot of aftermarket parts for Smart cars. I ended up getting one of the more common offerings, what they refer to as the Team Dynamics set.



I later lowered the ride height with a set of H&R lowering springs. This also gave it a firmer ride, but not to the point of being harsh.

[papasin]

First step, was sound deadening and sound proofing the doors. One of the things I love about this car (which as I understand is similar to VWs), is that the door skins come off. For CLD, I applied Second Skin Damplifier Pro.



Then, some MLV attached over the CLD.

[papasin]

HU, amps, and DSP for this build...at least, for now.



The XD600/6 is installed under the passenger seat.



The XD500/3 is installed under the driver's seat with the Mosconi 6to8v8.



The HU is installed with a double din kit (it is a little different for post 2011 year Smart cars).

[Notloudenuf]

How far backwards do you have to push that car to wind it up?

Tuned in for the build.

[BigAl205]

Thanks for sharing, Richard. I can't wait to see what you do with this one.

[papasin]

How far backwards do you have to push that car to wind it up?

Check this out.

[papasin]

Tuned in for the build.

Thanks for sharing, Richard. I can't wait to see what you do with this one.

Yep, sorry, took a break for dinner. Let me get the kids to bed and I'll wrap it up in a few. Put it this way, don't expect it to be anything extreme like MrsPapasin's.

[papasin]

Ok, next up, the backup camera. I installed a Boyo VTL375HDL license plate camera. Works great.

[papasin]

Next up, the tweeters. Nothing fancy or special fabrication. Pretty fortunate that the stock sail panels are actually aimed fairly on-axis. Here's a pic to illustrate.





For the tweeters, I decided to use the Illusion Audio Carbon tweeters. They come with the C4 midranges that I use in my Civic. I popped off the OEM grill, and voila.



Perfect fit! And installed in the sails...