Spend even the shortest amount of time driving in San Francisco and you’ll very quickly come to realize driving in San Francisco is all about going around stuff. In most places, the signal changes and you set off on your way to the next traffic signal. In San Francisco, the signal changes and you’ll immediately be impeded by the (choose one or more of the items from the list below:
• Double parked car(s)
• Stopped taxi(s)
• UPS truck
• FedEx truck
• Moving truck
• MUNI bus (or trolley)
• Cable car
• Construction crew
• Random inebriated individual
• Hordes of traffic oblivious pedestrians (AKA tourists)
• Or typically—particularly in Union Square—most or all of the above
In other words, the streets comprising San Francisco are more like a living, ever changing obstacle course—than they are a network of thoroughfares. That said; if you’re in a really big car (or God help you—a Limo), forget about it. For San Francisco, you need something small and agile, and ideally hosting a powerplant with a great deal of low-end torque.
You’ll need to scoot away from the line ahead of the cars next to you and change lanes quickly to get into the temporarily open one. You’ll also need to squeeze through very tight spaces when all the lanes are seemingly blocked. And, if you can do it very quietly so nobody gets a clue about what you’re up to—that’s even better.
Yes, a motorcycle or a scooter works—but remember, it also gets very cold in San Francisco.
Hmmm…
Maybe that’s why the Smart PR team chose San Francisco for a demonstration drive of the 2013 smart fortwo electric drive. Over an afternoon of driving the ion-powered car there, it proved itself to be the absolutely perfect device for this application.