Smart car goes electric

100 Smart Fortwo Electric Drives are being leased to people in London and the west Midlands, part of a larger government scheme that will see 340 electric vehicles loaned out and data on their usage collected Photograph: Sarah Lee

Over 10,000 miles, the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive will cost almost £800 less to run than the petrol version Photograph: Sarah Lee

Handling feels sharper than a petrol or diesel Smart, and the single fixed gear ratio does away with the choppy automatic gearbox that blights some models Photograph: Sarah Lee

The Smart Ed gallops from 0-38mph in 6.5 seconds, and the top speed is electronically limited to 62mph Photograph: Sarah Lee

It takes eight hours to fully charge the battery from flat, but only three hours to boost a 20% charge to 80%. A full charge costs around £2 Photograph: Sarah Lee

The electric Smart will reduce CO2 emissions by 2.6 tonnes per year over 10,000 miles when compared with the industry average. Photograph: Sarah Lee