The Smera: Roller Derby for the Smart Set

The Smera started out in 2003 as the Moulene concept. In 2006 they founded Lumeneo to develop Moulene concept. Voilà - The Smera!

Specs:

* Type: Dedicated plug-in electric vehicle
* Class: 1+1 passenger car
* Manufacturer: Lumeneo
* Propulsion system: 2 15 kW brushless electric motors with permanent magnets
* Top Speed: 80 mph (130 km/h)
* Zero-to-60: 8 seconds
* Vehicle range: 90 miles (150 km)
* Fuel(s): Electricity
* Battery pack: 10 KWh Lithium-ion (144 V, 70 Ah capacity)
* Time to full battery recharge: 3-5 hours
* Tailpipe emissions: No
* Price: €24,500 ($34,000)
* Availability: Yes (in Paris)


he controlled tilting. The vehicle's integrated inertial system, controlled by central electronics, determines the Smera's optimal tilting angle and transmits that to the cabin and the 4 wheels. The feel of this tilt is said to be 'intuitive', has a 25 degree maximum tilting angle, and requires no training at all.

The cockpit. Lumeneo calls it a "luxury cocoon" that "offers a panoramic look around the city", which all may be a bit of a stretch, but I could easily go for a spell in the Smera's snug and uncluttered leather cockpit with the aviation steering.

The redundancy. A nice little fail-safe function, if the Smera's drivetrain runs into a problem, it's designed to do the PC equivalent of tapping F8 during reboot—operate in a safe mode on one electric motor to get you where you need to go.
What we don’t

The prospects. The Smera has good specs, but this is what we've come to expect from a lightweight vehicle with little room for much beyond a driver and his choice between a passenger and trunk space.

The name. Company name? Love it. Vehicle name? An abomination.
Conclusions

In early 2009, Lumeneo was busy conforming the vehicle for road certification in France and cleaning up other loose ends. According to a couple of outlets, Lumeneo began taking orders in the winter and were set for vehicle delivery by this summer. Any takers? I don't know, but I imagine that timing, vehicle impracticality, and cost are coming together in a perfect storm to derail Smera sales.

You have to admit, at €24,500 this is one pricey roller skate. This is especially so in a gasping economy. The company claims to have plans to begin selling the Smera in other European cities in 2010, but hopefuls in the US shouldn't hold their breath: its 4 wheels rule out the much easier motorcycle classification.