Smart to follow Tesla on electric tour

Smart is to sponsor a European tour to highlight new technologies and ideas on the theme of "urban life."

The Smart "urban stage" will travel to Berlin, Rome, Zurich, Paris, Madrid and London for the next 12 months, hosting future-oriented projects in each location to offer members of the public a glimpse into the future of our cities.

It will be accompanied by the "smart electric drive experience," which will offer personal test drives of the Smart fortwo EV electric to allow consumers to get a taste of electric vehicles in an urban environment. The smart fortwo electric drive will be available from dealers as an alternative to the petrol and diesel models from 2012.

The urban stage tour begins in Berlin on May 8, where it will present ten national projects from the fields of society, design, architecture, media, science and mobility in an "innovative architecture concept" on Oranienburger Straße 59-63.

In March, electric car maker Tesla announced that it was starting a 37,000 kilometer round-the-world tour, making 15 stops in conjunction with timepiece manufacturer TAG Heuer. Each stop contains displays, owner appreciation gatherings and VIP events themed around the world's first electric sports car.

It is currently on its sixth stop in the Russian city of Moscow, where it has made history as the first car without Russian components to receive official clearance to park in Moscow's Red Square.

So far, the Tesla Roadster car has been charged from conventional electric outlets, as well as a solar panel array in Italy and, in one moment of desperation, a barn in rural Switzerland.

http://www.smart-urban-stage.com/

http://odyssey.tagheuer.com/