Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Sneak peak at smart's forvision. Image by smart.

Sneak peak at smart's forvision
It might sound like smart is branching out into spectacles, but the forvision debuts some seriously future looking technology.
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

"I can see you're smiling," says Annette Winkler, head of smart, as she walks us around the new forvision. We're in a studio a few miles from Stuttgart airport having an exclusive sneak peak at smart's new concept car. Called forvision, it's not only a nod to the firm's future styling direction, but also an interesting insight into future technology that should enhance the drive towards electric mobility.

I am smiling, the smart's integration of clever new technology and innovative design making it impossible not to. Sure, the overall shape's familiar, the compact two-seat, two-door profile one that you'll see parked (sometimes sideways) on many an urban street, but the detailing in the concept is different. Very different.

Everything from the wheels it rolls on to its paint finish has been re-thought in a bid to maximise efficiency. Three key facets underpin the forvision: energy efficiency, temperature management and weight reduction. All are intertwined creating efficiencies that allow the forvision to achieve the maximum range from its electric drivetrain.

It's the wheels that initially wow, not because they look special, but because of what they're constructed from. They're plastic, and a first, created - along with many of the technologies debuting here - by chemical and plastics giant BASF. They're 3kg a wheel lighter, which adding in a 1.5x factor for unsprung weight actually equates to around 18kg. That's not just to the benefit of rotational and overall mass reduction, but should also improve ride quality markedly - something current smarts could do with...

As Winkler says, smart has always been at the forefront of plastic use, with the current fortwo's body built from the material. All except the tridion safety cell, which is made from steel. On the forvision it's a carbon fibre material, with a new resin that cures in just three (rather than the more usual 15) minutes. Lighter than and just as strong as the steel cell it replaces it's one of a number of weight-saving technologies that features. The seats, again created from plastic, are lighter too, their heating elements printed and located at key points on the seat to maximise heat transmission to the person in the seat.

Along with weight reduction, heat management is key to the forvision's efficiency gains. Thin insulation foam helps keep the car warm or cool and lessens the need for power draw for air conditioning or heating systems. Reflective paint keeps the body cooler, lessening heat soak, while reflective glass also manages temperature. Solar elements in the car's roof - using a new organic dye photovoltaic cell, which is transparent - power an internal fan that vents through the rear lights. Providing power, they allow a transparent roof, which can also be additionally lit by organic LEDs at night. It's a neat styling touch, which also fits in with the forvision's quest for efficiency.

In all it's a holistic approach, which allows an increased range from the forvision's batteries of around 20% over a conventional generation III electric smart. Some of the technologies are still at the 'science stage' according to the people at BASF, but the plastic wheels could reach production in a few years, as could the reflective paint, while the transparent, organic photovoltaic cells could reach us by the next smart car's replacement. Winkler says smart was perhaps a bit too early in the marketplace when it initially launched, but now she says it's turning that into an advantage. If the company can deliver on the forvision's promise, then smart's future could be very bright indeed.

The smart forvision will be on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Kyle Fortune - 1 Sep 2011


2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.

2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.2011 smart forvision concept. Image by smart.









www.smart.com    - Smart road tests
- Smart news
- forvision concept images






MINI hatch and Aceman get John Cooper Works pack. Image by MINI.
Two MINI models gain JCW treatment
More power and sharper suspension for MINI’s electric models.
 
Kingsley KSR is new take on old Rangie. Image by Kingsley.
Reimagined classic Rangie: yours for £220k
Kingsley Re-Engineered creates its ultimate classic Range Rover, the KSR.
MINI brings back the Convertible. Image by MINI.
MINI revives Convertible for another outing
MINI reveals updated Convertible model - but no electric option for now.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 TWR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©