Smith Electric Vehicles Wins $10M DOE Grant

Smith Electric Vehicles has won a $10 million grant from the US Department of Energy for the production of all-electric, zero emissions commercial trucks for a nationwide demonstration project to validate performance across a range of climates and locations.  Major purchasers of the vehicles include Coca-Cola, Staples, AT&T, PG & E, Kansas City Power and Light and Frito-Lay  Learn more:  PRnewswire.com

Smith Electric Vehicles US & Altec Partner On Utility Truck

First Test Vehicle Revealed: Smith Electric Vehicle US and Altec Industries Utility Truck

Smith Electric Vehicles US (SEVUSA) and Altec Industries will work together on the development of an all electric utility truck with an aerial bucket. SEVUSA will use their Newton truck produced in Kansas City as the basic vehicle and Altec will integrate their aerial product. The utility truck is targeted for utility companies and Pacific Gas and Electric will be involved in the development of the vehicle as well. The utility company will take delivery of the first test unit and provide feedback and test data. Learn more: utilityproducts.com

Smith Electric Vehicles USA Update

The company is on track to begin production in July and reports a”strong expression of interest from fleet operators” including Frito-Lay and Canteen Vending Services.  The related story also includes a short video with the CEO where he talks about some of the advantages for drivers including less fatigue from constantly having to shift gears, as well as the need for developing a supply chain to support an electric vehicle market in the US.  Learn more:  treehugger.com

Smith Electric Vehicles Chooses Kansas City As Plant Site

Later today Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp is expected to announce that they have chosen Kansas City, MO as the site for their assembly plant. The plant will be located near the Kansas City International Airport and is expected to eventually employ 200 people within three years. The consortium involving Ford and British based Tanfield Group is expected to invest $5 million in the plant that will produce an electric version of Ford’s Transit Connect delivery vans and Smith’s Newton electric truck.

The first vehicles to be produced will be the Newtons with a third quarter launch date as the target. The company expects to produce 10,000 vehicles annually for a US market estimated to be 200,000 for delivery trucks of this size. The Transit Connect vehicles are expected to roll off the line in 2010.

The plant will be located near Kokam America Inc, a lithium ion battery manufacturer, and Fords assembly plant for Escape and Mariner hybrids. In addition, Valence Technology, battery supplier to Smith’s UK parent company, is located relatively close in Austin, TX. Learn more: KMBC.com

and bizjournal.com

In related news, Smith Electric Vehicles announced they sold their first electric Newton in the Ireland market to a building materials retailer. The company will use the vehicle for deliveries. Ireland plans to have 10% of all their vehicles be electric powered by 2020. Learn more: greencarcongress.com

Update: Smith Vehicles will receive an estimated $2 million in tax credits and $1 million in job training assistance from the Missouri state government .  The company is leasing an 80,000 sq. ft. facility and expects to create 120 jobs by 2010.  Learn more:  bizjournal.com

Smith Electric Vehicle Reviews

You can find some video reviews of Smith Electric Vehicles Newton from a recent trade show here. The industry professionals had a generally positive response to the vehicle.

More Smith Electric Vehicle News

Smith All Electric Newton for the North American Market

Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation, currently headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is planning on producing all electric trucks for depot-based delivery fleets in North America. In the UK companies like Starbucks and DHL use the vehicles in dense urban areas.

The Newton model will be the first Smith vehicle available in this market. This is a class 5,6 o 7 vehicle with a payload of up to 16,280 lbs. While not quite a highway speed vehicle, the Newton is not a low speed vehicle either can reach speeds of up to 50 mph and has a range of over 100 miles depending on the battery option chosen.

The Newton originally used anywhere from two to six Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries produced by Zebra and each battery cost $16,000 and provided 22KW hours of power. However the company expects that most of the models sold in the US will use this Lithium ion type batteries. The 2007 version of the truck costs $150,000 with the Zebra batteries accounting for $64,000 or just over 40% of the cost. Additional batteries also reduce payload capacity.

Learn more and at Autobloggreen.com

Update:  See some video interviews from some people in the industry that drove the truck at Autobloggreen.com