In principle, the Smart Electric Drive makes sense. Simply plug in your car at night and there it is, ready and charged the following morning for your daily commute.

With a range of 90 miles, it would have enough range for most people’s needs and the cost in fuel terms equates to a few pence per mile.

Of course, there are one or two snags to get over first. Motorists are very cagey about EV (electric vehicles) and this nervousness has even created a new term, range anxiety.

People are concerned about running out of juice.

They are also fearful of the reliability of such new technology and are concerned about the value of their car when they come to trade it in a few years down the line.

Well, snags or not, Smart are gearing up to unleash their new Smart Electric Drive in the New Year and I was one of the first journalists in the country to try it out.

My verdict? It’s fun to drive and reassuringly similar to the traditional Smart petrol or diesel. It feels swift, surefooted and fun.

I took it on the M1 which isn’t Smart territory. Most electric Smarts will be used in cities and sensible commutes rather than badgering lorries on busy motorways.

But it held its own rather nicely and showed a good turn of speed. Officially it zips to 37mph in 4.8 seconds and if you’re really ambitious you can get to 60mph in 11.5 seconds which I suggest is about as fast as you would ever want to go. I’m told it will do 78mph.

So, how exactly is the Smart Electric Drive powered? It has a 55kW electric motor produced by Smart’s owner Daimler and Bosch. The battery is a lithium-ion unit which can be fully charged in six hours. You will plug it in at home using a connection in your driveway. Of course, fitting a charge point is another cost. Not huge, but something to think about. The Smart Electric Drive’s online vehicle homepage offers the driver the ability to view all the destinations that can be reached with the current battery charge. The public charging stations within reach can also be seen at a glance, and information on the charge and range can be sent by e-mail or Twitter messages.

With 130 Nm of torque from start-off it can drive the smart electric drive from 0-62 mph in 11.5 seconds – that’s quicker than most internal combustion-engined Smarts. Under normal urban conditions it has a range of up to 90 miles.

Electric propulsion has been a part of the Smart Fortwo concept from the beginning. As a result it shares the same dimensions and rear-engined layout as the petrol and diesel-powered models.

This means the Smart Electric Drive enjoys the same standards of safety, agility, comfort and space as conventional models.

It is a car with limitations, but most customers will have a ‘proper’ car, too. For green commuters, it’s worth considering. Just wait for the prices.