The electric Smart car in New York: an iPhone app gives you a state-of-charge reading. (Smart USA photo)

One of the cool things about electric cars is that they neatly sync with the technology that we carry around in our pockets. I remember thinking it inconceivable that such a thing as a cell phone could exist, and also that we’d never have practical plug-in vehicles. Now we have both, and they complement each other.

Take the electric drive Smart car. Some 250 of them are being rolled out in the U.S., beginning in October, and in addition to a 16.5 kilowatthour battery pack from partner Tesla, they carry a very interesting iPhone app. A cradle sprouts from the dashboard, and when the phone is plugged in it can provide GPS directions or play music from its onboard collection. Take it with you, and it can provide information on your battery car’s state of charge, expected completion time, and location of charging stations. Forget where your car is parked, and it can find it for you. Here’s what it looks like on video: