INSIDER COMMENTARY

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Remember the SAM Cree? Several years ago, it suffered the fate of all too many "ideas ahead of their time." The Swiss developers couldn't raise the money to start production, so they quietly shut it down. Now it's back as the ReVolt.

Return of SAM
The smart ED carries two. So does the Sustainable Automotive Mobility (SAM) Cree. Both are meant to be super-efficient urban commuters, but there the similarities end. The smart has four wheels, the Cree, three. Smart passengers sit side-by-side; Cree passengers sit in tandem. Smarts have sold in the millions; the Cree, not so many. In fact, the Swiss company quietly shut down after failing to raise sufficient capital to get beyond the pre-production stage.

Well, the Cree is back. Now its called the Revolt and it's manufactured in Pruszkow, Poland by Impact Automotive Technologies, Sp.z.o.o. (http://3xe-electric-cars.com/index.php). Its 7kWh lithium ion battery pack gives it an estimated range of 100km (62 miles) or the equivalent of 112 watt hours per mile compared to the Smart's 200 wh/m. Top speed is 90km/h (55mph) and acceleration of 0-50 km/h in 7 seconds is comparable to the Smart's 0-60 km/h in about 8 seconds (officially smart says its 6.5 seconds). There are currently two distributors in Western Europe, including Elec-cars Nederland (http://www.elec-company.nl).

Between the Smart and the Revolt, performance is close, production quality is an unknown for Revolt, as is the price. Efficiency clearly goes to the Revolt. I'd say at this point, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. With the Smart, you'll likely get lots of thumbs up; the Revolt, lots of stares. Pick your poison.