Smart Fortwo Electric Drive heads to Hong Kong for real-world trials

With the city of Hong Kong battling record levels of pollution, Daimler has worked up what it thinks is a partial solution. The German automaker says it will provide an undisclosed number of trial versions of its Smart Fortwo Electric Drive to select partners there.

Daimler's mates in the trial, including the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Swire Coca-Cola HK, will use the electric two-seater for six to 12 months, while Mercedes-Benz collects data and services the battery-powered Smarts.

Hong Kong's government is eager to test out plug-in vehicles as it eyes becoming a "greener city," says Edward Yau, Hong Kong's environment secretary. The densely populated Asian city currently has 170 registered electric vehicles and the number of charging stations should increase from 300 to 1,000 by the end of 2012.