As smart continues to pioneer the way forward to make cars more environmentally-friendly, the company has received £2.5 million to fund this incentive.

The Technology Strategy Board has put forward the grant to help smart create further electric car trials and create a vehicle that can be used in the future by UK motorists.

smart is now encouraging individuals to take part in two research trials in the UK, which offer them a chance to give their input towards product development and the overall design process.

One of these trials will take place in London and the South East, with smart being a lead partner to a larger consortium.

Meanwhile, the other will occur in the West Midlands, with a number of other organisations also sharing the lead.

Dermot Kelly, Managing Director at Mercedes-Benz, said: “smart has been conducting real-life trials of 100 electric cars with partner companies across the country since 2007. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We’re delighted that smart has been awarded this funding. It means we can offer electric smarts with state of the art lithium-ion battery technology at affordable monthly lease rates to participants.”

The Technology Strategy Board was established by the government to promote and support research into the development of innovation and technology to benefit UK business.

Discover all the big benefits of the smart at thesmart.co.uk

The low costs associated with the smart fortwo electric drive is one of the chief reasons why the vehicle has been so successful during its trials, it has been stated.

Dermot Kelly, Managing Director at Mercedes-Benz UK, believes that the zero-emission vehicle is ideal for many parties due to the amount it costs to run and the positive exemptions it receives.

The vehicle is set to go into small-scale production after being positively trialled in recent months by groups including local councils, energy companies and the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Kelly said: "The smart electric drive is exempt from vehicle excise duty and the London congestion charge and this, underlined with incredibly low operating costs, means that companies taking part in the trial are finding it makes perfect fiscal sense."

He added that smart is "delighted" that the trials have been so successful and that the company will continue to lead the way when looking at supporting the environment in the future.

Among the features of the vehicle are that it has no exhaust, spark plugs or oil filter, which means that buyers will benefit from lower servicing costs.

Meanwhile, the vehicle can also reach 30 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour, with drivers not needing to perform a gear change.

Discover all the big benefits of the smart at thesmart.co.uk

Motorists in the UK will be able to get their hands on the zero-emission smart fortwo next year following a successful trial of the vehicle.

The Metropolitan Police, universities, local councils, architects and energy companies have all trialled the iconic vehicle with positive results.

This has led to the car going into small scale production to be unleashed onto the UK market in 2010.

Meanwhile, the vehicle, which is powered by a lithium-ion battery, is also set to take part in projects in locations such as Rome, Paris and Milan.

London mayor Boris Johnson said: "It is absolutely fantastic to see manufacturers like smart leading the way to make the electric vehicle an easy choice for Londoners.

"The move to electric vehicles, which emit zero pollution on London’s streets, will have a massive impact on cutting carbon emissions to curb climate change whilst improving air quality and noise levels for our citizens."

The Metropolitan Police previously revealed that they thought that the smart fortwo was the ideal vehicle of choice in London as 70 miles could be completed on one charge and a top speed of 55 miles per hour could be reached.

Discover all the big benefits of the smart at thesmart.co.uk

Motorists looking for a vehicle that could substantially cut their driving costs may wish to consider the latest smart fortwo cdi.

Returning 85.6 miles per gallon of fuel, the vehicle may prove to be the profitable choice for those racking up the miles in the city.

Meanwhile, the vehicle is also exempt from road tax, while generating just 88g/km of carbon dioxide, which may please the environmentally-conscious motorist.

Dermot Kelly, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz, said: "The new smart cdi is not only the greenest production car on the road but it also benefits from the same class-leading safety features and cavernous boot space as the rest of the smart fortwo range.

"Add this to the phenomenal fuel economy and it’s clear that the smart cdi is the ultimate eco-solution for today’s driver."

Further benefits of the new model over older offerings include a larger boot and generally more space in the cabin, while the ventilation system is said to be more efficient.

Meanwhile, over 700 safety test scenarios were carried out on the smart fortwo to ensure that motorists would remain safe on the road in the vehicle.

Discover all the big benefits of the smart at thesmart.co.uk

Staff at the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce are to be able to profit from the benefits of the new smart fortwo cdi following a recent agreement.

A fleet of eight diesel smart cars have been delivered to the organisation, with the deal being one of the first corporate orders for the smart fortwo cdi model.

smart of Sheffield has supplied the coupe vehicles, which are to be used by the Sheffield Chamber’s Business Development Executives as they travel across South Yorkshire supporting member companies.

The vehicles will be run on two-year leases, with smart beating 20 other local motor retailers to secure the deal.

Stephen Mitchell, Sheffield Chamber Corporate Partnerships Director, said: "It was a priority that the cars we chose displayed outstanding environmental credentials but were cheap to run too.

"However, we also require them to be highly visible and, once liveried, the smarts will certainly provide a good look for us as they travel around the city."

Among the many positives of the smart fortwo is that drivers can benefit from a fuel consumption of 85.6 miles to the gallon on the combined cycle, while only generating 88g/km of carbon dioxide.

Discover all the big benefits of the smart at thesmart.co.uk