Smart reserved...
June 29, 2007 
We've talked about it for some time. And today we took the first step. We have reserved a Smart Car. Pictured on the left (click to see it larger ...although even full size, it's only 5 feet 1 inch high ...that's shorter than I am, so it's pretty short!) ...pictured on the left is what we've reserved. A yellow Smart. We first saw these little guys in Paris 5 or 6 years ago (and then elsewhere in Europe). In Spain last month, we saw 4-door models -- which almost seems like sacrilege, but still far better than the lone-occupant behemoths we see so often around the US.
It's unknown yet what the mileage will be, but it should get over 40mph. Hopefully it will be well over. We've considered hybrids, but the battery technology is not yet where it needs to be. There are (in our minds) too many issues with the recycling of the batteries and with the composite materials at the end of the product life. And the Smart car is quite safe, as this YouTube crash video will demonstrate. Of course, as they mention in the video, while slamming into concrete at 70mph will leave the Smart in better condition than many cars, the human occupant would still have a challenge surviving such sudden deceleration.
So for now, we'll stay abreast of the developments and will definitely plan to attend the street smart road show in Tampa in October. Our US$99 deposit is fully refundable at any time. The tentative plan is that we would sell Shirley's car next year, which should leave us needing about US$9,000 to cover the cost of the Smart. Given that I typically work from home a day or two a week, and Shirley typically does not work on Fridays, and her lab may be moving close to my office, there's even a possibility that we could do some or all of our commuting together in the Smart. That'd be cool.
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