Owners of fully electric Smart cars from the 451 series, produced between 2012 and 2015 and known as the Smart ED3, are facing difficulties in securing replacement batteries, as Mercedes-Benz, Smart’s former parent company, has reportedly exhausted its stock of both new and reconditioned units.
The Smart ED3, launched around 13 years ago, marked one of the first mass-produced electric cars in Europe and the first fully electric Smart available to the public.
Approximately 16,000 units were assembled in Hambach, France. Initially, Mercedes-Benz provided new replacement batteries under warranty or via a rental programme, but in 2019 the automaker shifted to installing reconditioned packs assembled from partially functional cells salvaged from defective units.
Reports suggest that both these reconditioned and new batteries are now unavailable. Mercedes-Benz has not confirmed a complete depletion of stock but has pointed to a repair option developed with an external service provider, potentially involving Bosch workshops, to address faults in the model’s battery systems.
Independent EV repair specialists, such as Berlin’s EV Clinic, have also been offering cell-level repairs, replacing damaged cells to restore battery performance.
The ED3’s battery systems have been prone to sudden capacity drops, often linked to failure of the vehicle’s 12-volt battery, which can lead to deep discharge and irreversible damage to high-voltage cells.
The original battery cells were produced in Germany by Li-Tec, a joint venture between Evonik and Daimler, before Daimler took full control in 2014 and ceased production by the end of 2015. The closure of cell manufacturing is considered a factor in the current lack of replacement units, as existing inventories have been depleted.
Source: smart-emotion.de, spiegel.de, t-online.de