Here Comes the Electric Truck

Are electric trucks feasible? UK-based Smith Electric Vehicles is proving they are. The company manufactures all-electric, highway-ready trucks and vans. This year, it introduced the Newton truck and Edison van in Europe. Both are totally battery-powered, and are capable of 50 mph and up to 150 miles on one battery charge.

The company just celebrated its first order from Royal Mail in the UK – a test order for its 33,000 fleet of commercial delivery vehicles. The adoption of the Low Emission Zone in London and expected road pricing in 10 other urban conurbations across the UK will significantly increase the addressable market for electric vehicles.

Now Smith is coming to the U.S. – it’s building a $30 million production plant capable of producing 1000 vehicles a year. It will produce US-specific versions of the urban delivery vehicles, Edison and Newton. Smith is planning another plant for 2009 that can produce up to 5000 vehicles a year for North America. The company says it’s already receiving about 25 enquiries a week from major fleet operators in the US.

In the UK, Smith sources vehicle shells and chassisy from major automotive manufacturers and then assembles them for their own vehicles. The Edison is based on the Ford Transit shell and weighs about 7,800 pounds, while the Newton is a larger truck, with configurations ranging between 16,500 to 26,500 pounds.

The company is negotiating for a facility at an undisclosed location. The first US vehicles should roll off the production lines – and onto the roads of American cities – in early 2008.

www.smithelectricvehicles.com