Smart cars are now considered the transportation of the future. Some of the many benefits of smart vehicles are that they are efficient, environmental-friendly, and easy to park, especially in tiny spaces. Apart from being small, smart cars employ better measures to prevent injuries or accidents on the road and are less noisy to drive. However, these benefits come with a downside that makes smart cars a challenge, especially in the current transport infrastructure that is built for more road-tough gasoline-powered vehicles. Before considering a smart car, here are some of the facts you should know and be aware of as well as their expected limitations.
1. Limited Space and High Price
Their most significant feature is their tiny size. They are mostly made to seat two people at a time. This makes them an impractical choice for medium to big sized families and other people who need cars with a bigger capacity. As of 2009, their price ranged from around $12000 to $20000, which is way too expensive compared to other vehicles that provide more functionality.
2. They Are Hard to Integrate with Gasoline Cars on The Roads
Being small size cars might make them unsafe to drive alongside other vehicles that are larger and heavier on the roads. Although their advanced technology provides them with preemptive safety measures, concerns about passenger safety in case of hard collisions have left many people doubtful about their safety assurance.
3. Availability of Car Parts
There are only a few companies that have specialized in the manufacture of smart cars. This makes access to spare parts hard and shipping costs to be very high. The supply and demand chain for smart car parts also poses a challenge, as the adoption of the vehicles is still low. First world countries like the USA and Europe have helped to push smart car adoption and open up the market into developing regions.
4. Infrastructure Challenge
The world today primarily supports fossil fuel machines. As a new technology, smart cars will require an entire network designed to support their design in the future. This move will help in encouraging more people to migrate to clean energy. With smart cars, infrastructure deficiencies like uneven landscapes and potholes on the road make them highly vulnerable to malfunctions.
5. Mileage Performance and Stability
While smart cars are designed to be fuel-efficient, if driven at more than 80mph, the engine gets strained. Smart vehicles are quite unstable while rounding corners, and at high speeds, they can be challenging to control.
As there are many models of smart cars, Europe manufactures have more efficient diesel-powered smart vehicles than the United States. Smart car dealerships are still limited, and those selling have even fewer selections of various models. This causes availability challenges to potential customers. For best smart car deals and prices, visit Sandown-group where you can browse through all the latest smart parts and accessories. Sandown Smart is a dedicated retailer of unique smart products such as smart for two or smart for four.