10 Things You Didn't Know About The Smart Car

Smart cars are compact vehicles that definitely stand out in a parking lot, so here are a few fun facts you might not have known about these cars.

Perhaps when you’re out and about, you might spot what looks like the smallest car you’ve ever seen. It's probably about half the length of a normal car and only has two doors and two seats in the front. These are Smart cars. These itty bitty rides are extremely compact, designed to take up as little space as possible. These cars catch the eye because of their size and yet at the same time, could be easily missed. Their uncommon nature and just the spectacle of a vehicle that seems so impossibly small adds a layer of curiosity to the Smart car. So, to satisfy that curiosity, here are ten things you didn’t know about the Smart car.

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10 Born In Germany To A Prestigious Brand

The Smart car was conceived in Böblingen, Germany as an offshoot of Mercedes-Benz. Two other companies were involved in the Smart car’s conception; Volkswagen and Swatch. While Volkswagen was initially part of the project, they eventually left the development of the Smart car and that opening was filled by the Swatch company; the same companies known for unique wristwatches.

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An odd choice to be sure but it would prove to be most profitable for Mercedes-Benz as they continued development on what would soon become the Smart car in October of 1998. This brain child of the two companies would be known as the Smart car Fortwo.

9 The Smart Car Logo

Logos are extremely important to companies and branding. Often a company’s logo is how they are identified and you might know a company’s logo but not actually know what the company does. As such, many logos are symbolic of what the company manufactures or what they stand for.

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The Smart car logo consists of a silver “C” with a little yellow-orange triangle filling the gap. Next to it, is simply the word “smart.” The silver “C” stands for compact, given that the Smart car is a compact car. The arrow represents forward-thinking. This is also fitting as the parent companies wanted the Smart car to be one of the most advanced cars on the market.

8 What’s In A Name?

Not content with having just their logo being symbolic, the name of the vehicle itself is something of a homage to everyone involved. Nowadays when we hear “Smart” as a prefix, such as a “Smart” phone, for example, we think of an object or device that is technologically advanced and interconnected with the vast digital networks we’ve created.

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However, in terms of this vehicle, “Smart” has a different meaning. It's a shortening of the phrase, “Swatch Mercedes ART.” While the name might not be referring to “Smart” in the context we’re accustomed too, that doesn’t mean it's devoid of technology, as we’ll see later in this list.

7 Unbelievably Tiny

If you’ve ever seen a Smart car, it's plain to see that their ridiculously, incredibly, unbelievably tiny. Let's talk numbers though; just how small are they? Well, the original concept aimed for a length of just under nine feet.

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However, some of the most recent models surpass this original idea with the cars coming in at eight and a half feet long. If you thought they were small lengthwise, their width is equally as stunning; a mere five and a half feet wide! Despite this, the manufacturer and many drivers say that the interior feels roomy, despite being only as wide as most humans are tall.

6 Unique Customization

Most of the time when you buy a car off the lot, you get to choose between a few standard colors such as white, black, or grey and perhaps a few brighter options such as blue, red, or green.

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You have to choose wisely because once you do, you’re pretty much stuck with that color unless you want to pay extra money to get a paint job done later on. However, the Smart car took a different approach. Instead of getting a new paint job, the colored panels on the outside of the car can be removed and replaced with panels in a different color.

5 Tiny Gas Tank But Mighty Mileage

The Smart car Fortwo, obviously, is an itty bitty vehicle. Naturally, when your car is only eight and a half feet long, there is not a whole lot of room for things. Thus, the gas tank on a Fortwo is just over eight and a half gallons. This seems more like a golf cart than a car meant to traverse cities and maybe even go on road trips.

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However, the Fortwo was not only designed for compactness, but it was also designed for efficiency as well. Those eight gallons will get you roughly 350 miles before you’ll run out of fuel. That averages out to a whopping 40-miles per gallon!

4 Safety Snafu

With such a compact vehicle, there is not a whole lot of room for error; quite literally. Regular sized cars have several more inches of metal and space to cushion passengers from impact. When there is an impact on a Fortwo, it is smack dab on passengers.

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However, Smart was very diligent about crafting and advertising their safety measures. These commercials put them at the center of a small controversy. In the ad, they dropped an SUV on top of their patented frame, which held up. Of course, doubters immediately accused Smart of faking the commercial. They promptly disproved these claims by revealing all of their behind the scenes footage and processes.

3 Clean Electric Power

The Smart car wanted to start off as an electric car brand but back in 1998, the technology was expensive and not as efficient as the manufacturers would have liked. They wanted to create a vehicle that was efficient, green, and ready to usher in the modern age. However, the timing just wasn't right.

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So they stuck to creating the most fuel-efficient vehicles they could until the technology could catch up. The moment it did, Smart busted out electric versions of their cars and made sure they were some of the best in town. The latest models get 128 miles on a single charge and the batteries fully charge in a speedy three hours.

2 Built For The Cities Overseas

These tiny cars weren’t exactly built to motor you around your county farm, or even the local golf course. They were made for the crowded, hustle and bustle of European and overseas cities. The continents across the pond, by their very nature are more crowded and packed.

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These nations have been around, developing and building for centuries, and some of them are doing so within small borders or on literal islands. The U.S.A. is barely 200-years old and we have a notorious urban sprawl problem. These tiny cars are supposed to compensate for the crowded streets where parking is limited. In fact, the Smart car didn’t come to the U.S. officially until 2008.

1 The Smart Car Is Leaving North America

Last but not least, if this list has gotten you excited about getting a Smart car, you’d better hurry! Smart’s parent company has announced due to lack-luster sales and poor interest, the Smart car will no longer be sold in North America, a.k.a. the U.S.A. and Canada. It’s definitely an interesting decision considering now more than ever people are leaning towards going green and minimizing their lives. Take the tiny house crazy for example; what better match for your little house than a little car? So, if you still want to get your hands on a Smart car without having to pay extra for imports, get one now!

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Smart Home

What Is a Smart Home?

A smart home refers to a convenient home setup where appliances and devices can be automatically controlled remotely from anywhere with an internet connection using a mobile or other networked device. Devices in a smart home are interconnected through the internet, allowing the user to control functions such as security access to the home, temperature, lighting, and a home theater remotely.

Key Takeaways A smart home allows homeowners to control appliances, thermostats, lights, and other devices remotely using a smartphone or tablet through an internet connection.

Smart homes can be set up through wireless or hardwired systems.

Smart home technology provides homeowners with convenience and cost savings.

Security risks and bugs continue to plague makers and users of smart home technology.

How Smart Homes Work

A smart home’s devices are connected with each other and can be accessed through one central point—a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or game console. Door locks, televisions, thermostats, home monitors, cameras, lights, and even appliances such as the refrigerator can be controlled through one home automation system. The system is installed on a mobile or other networked device, and the user can create time schedules for certain changes to take effect.

Smart home appliances come with self-learning skills so they can learn the homeowner’s schedules and make adjustments as needed. Smart homes enabled with lighting control allow homeowners to reduce electricity use and benefit from energy-related cost savings. Some home automation systems alert the homeowner if any motion is detected in the home when they're away, while others can call the authorities—police or the fire department—in case of imminent situations.

Once connected, services such as a smart doorbell, smart security system, and smart appliances are all part of the internet of things (IoT) technology, a network of physical objects that can gather and share electronic information.

Security and efficiency are the main reasons behind the increase in smart home technology use.

Smart homes can feature either wireless or hardwired systems—or both. Wireless systems are easier to install. Putting in a wireless home automation system with features such as smart lighting, climate control, and security can cost several thousand dollars, making it very cost-friendly.

Hardwired systems, on the other hand, are considered more reliable and are typically more difficult to hack. A hardwired system can increase the resale value of a home. But there is a drawback—it's fairly expensive. Installing a luxury and hardwired smart system can cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars.

The global home automation market was valued at about $24 billion in 2016, growing to $45.8 billion in 2017. In the U.S. smart home market, the number of active households is expected to amount to 77.0m users by 2025. Video entertainment and smart speakers are currently the largest component of smart home technology, followed by home security and monitoring services. Smart speaker technology has fully penetrated the U.S. market, where more than one-third of households currently use a device like the Amazon Echo (Alexa) or Google Nest.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Smart Homes

Pros

Installing a smart home technology system provides homeowners with convenience. Rather than controlling appliances, thermostats, lighting, and other features using different devices, homeowners can control them all using one device—usually a smartphone or tablet.

Since they're connected to a portable device, users can get notifications and updates on issues in their homes. For instance, smart doorbells allow homeowners to see and communicate with people who come to their doors even when they're not at home. Users can set and control the internal temperature, lighting, and appliances as well.

For the cost of setting up the smart system, homeowners can benefit from significant cost savings. Appliances and electronics can be used more efficiently, lowering energy costs.

Cons

While the smart home offers convenience and cost savings, there are still challenges. Security risks and bugs continue to plague makers and users of the technology. Adept hackers, for example, can gain access to a smart home's internet-enabled appliances. In October 2016, a botnet called Mirai infiltrated interconnected devices of DVRs, cameras, and routers to bring down a host of major websites through a denial of service attack, also known as a DDoS attack.

Measures to mitigate the risks of such attacks include protecting smart appliances and devices with a strong password, using encryption when available, and only connecting trusted devices to one's network.

As noted above, the costs of installing smart technology can run anywhere from a few thousand dollars for a wireless system to tens of thousands of dollars for a hardwired system. It's a heavy price to pay, especially since there may be a steep learning curve to get used to the system for everyone in the household.

Top 5 Components of a Smart Home

The future is here! From automating your interior shades in your sunroom, to warming up your pool, to adjusting the lights and music before your friends arrive, you can now enjoy the convenience, safety and economic benefits of smart home technology. Open sesame!

So what is a smart home, anyway?

A smart home has its devices interconnected through the internet and gives you on-demand access to control your lighting, home security, thermostat regulation and home theater and entertainment. It can be as simple as saying, "Alexa, turn on the living room light." If you're looking to smarten up your home, check out these top five essential systems that can turn your conventional home into one that helps you live in total comfort and convenience.

5. Ventilation, heating and air conditioning system

If you're guilty of rushing out of your house and forgetting to adjust your th ermostat on a regular basis, smart technology might just be the ticket. The Nest Learning Thermostat, for example, is an electronic, programmable Wi-Fi enabled thermostat that optimizes heating and cooling of your home to conserve energy. The Nest learns your family's routine, programs itself and adapts to your life and changing seasons (The app also lets you control your thermostat no matter where you are in the world.). It's also ENERGY STAR certified, which means it meets standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Department of Energy (DOE), but consumes less energy than other products.

4. Light up your world

Arguably the easiest way to upgrade your lighting is with smart bulbs. You can swap out the existin g CFL or LED bulbs in your lamps and lighting fixtures with a Philips Hue, Lifx Mini, Eufy Lumos LED or many other models. These smart bulbs allow you to control your lights with your phone or through Alexa or Google Assistant. Plus, you can schedule them to turn on at any time and dim them at will, even if you don't have a dimmer switch.

If you have a lot of lamps or recessed lighting, smart bulbs can quickly become expensive. The solution? Smart light switches. These control all of the lights wired to one switch, allowing you to turn lights on and off on a schedule or with a smart assistant, without changing your existing light bulbs.

3. Shades, sprinklers and music

Programming your lawn sprinklers to water your lawn at 5:30 in the morning has never been easier with a smart system.And when you're not asking Alexa how many ounces are in a cup or who won best picture in 1989, you can control your other home's systems with just your voice. These include motorized shades and blinds, entertainment systems, lawn sprinklers, and lights. Voice activated products for your home can be especially helpful for busy families, if you're recovering from surgery, getting up in age or have physical disabilities.

2. Intercom system

A smart intercom system offers dramatically more features than a conventional intercom system and allows you to communicate with your family through voice activated devices without having to do anything else. There are a variety of helpful convenient and entertainment options that come with your intercom system so you can connect several rooms within your home. For example, you can use the video chat feature to talk to someone in another room, or someone outside of your front door, such as a deliveryman or mailman. You can set up your entertainment by syncing your music to play through intercoms around your house. You can even send videos around your home through a smart intercom system.

1. Security system

The top component for every smart home is the security system. A security system is there to protect you and raise the alarm in a big emergency like a fire or a break-in. But a smart security system doesn't stop there. Thanks to advanced technology, it makes itself useful every single day.

It can send you a notification when your teenagers get home from school or their part-time jobs. It can show you who's at your front door, and let you talk to them, through a video doorbell. You can see an HD video feed of your kids in the back yard while you're cooking dinner. It can also let you know if a window is open or door is left ajar or if you have a water leak in the basement.

While some smart home gear falls under the umbrella of luxury, there’s simply no substitute for a solid home security system if you want to sleep safer and sounder even when you’re on the other side of the world relaxing on holiday. And while these systems can take a bite out of your budget, in the long run they can help you run your home with less stress and hassle while cutting costs and saving energy.

Tip: Contact your insurance company and let them know you are installing a smart home system to protect your home investment and you may be able to lower your rates and possibly receive home insurance discounts.

Thinking of making some changes to your home and short on cash? Contact one of our friendly loan officers to see what a cash-out refinance or renovation loan could do for you.