Smart's new all-electric rival to the VW ID3: RAY MASSEY rides shotgun in a near production-ready prototype of the Smart #1 crossover

• e-mail

I've just been riding shotgun as a passenger on UK roads in a near production-ready prototype version of the new Smart #1 crossover. 

And impressive it is, too. Swift, airy, comfortable, with an upmarket interior, and it feels bigger on the inside than I expected. 

Stylish: The new Smart #1 crossover - Swift, airy, comfortable, with an upmarket interior,

It's perfectly suited to zipping around town, cruising on the motorway or navigating twisting country lanes. 

On sale from the end of the year from about £32,000, it will rival the Hyundai Kona EV and Volkswagen's ID.3, but there are still some teething issues on wind noise around the windscreen seals to fettle. 

It's a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and China's Geely, powered by a 200 kW (272 PS) motor with a top speed of 112 mph. Weighing just 1,820kg, the low-slung battery helps maintain stability. 

The claimed range is up to 273 miles, and it promises AC charging up to 80 per cent in three hours, and less than 30 minutes with a DC super-fast charger.

LEVC battery-powered cabs in Platinum Pageant 

Electric taxi maker LEVC has created three battery-powered platinum TX London cabs to take part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant tomorrow. 

The taxis will chauffeur VIPs to their seats ahead of the start of the show. 

Platinum power: The taxis will chauffeur VIPs to their seats ahead of the start of the show

The London Electric Vehicle Company, which makes electric taxis and vans in Coventry, said: 'LEVC is proud to be part of the Pageant as the makers of the iconic black cab.' 

The firm recently celebrated 7,000 global sales of the electric TX taxis since its launch in 2018. 

They now make up more than a third of London black cabs. 

There is a fitting link to the Royal Family — the late Duke of Edinburgh used a black cab to drive incognito through London. 

The firm is owned by Chinese motor giant Geely which since 2014 has invested £500million into its UK plant.