FIRST ELECTRIC TRUCK ROLLS OFF THE LINE IN NORTH AMERICAStaples were one of the first customers to take delivery of the Smith NewtonSmith Electric Vehicles US Corp (SEV US Corp) has produced the first electric truck at its new assembly facility in Kansas City.
We are temporarily shipping over the Smith Newton trucks from the UK in kit form, while five British workers train the US workforce. SEV US Corp expects to be building complete trucks from components later this month.
Launched in the UK in 2006, the Smith Newton is the world's largest road-going electric truck. Three models are available in Europe, with gross vehicle weights of 7,500 - 12,000kg. The Newton has a restricted top speed of 50mph (80km/h) and its lithium-ion batteries deliver a range of up to 100 miles (160km) on a single charge. A full recharge takes 6-8 hours.
SEV US Corp owns the license to assemble and sell the Newton in North America. All design and product development work is conducted by Smith Electric Vehicles in the UK.
SEV US Corp now has an order book for 255 Newton trucks and is to receive additional funding from the Department of Energy for 65 Newtons. This is on top of the $10m DoE funding SEV US Corp won earlier this year!
Furthermore, SEV US Corp is to produce a prototype electric delivery van for the United States Postal Service.
Given the huge early success of Newton and the opportunity presented by the US Postal Service vehicle, SEV US Corp has decided to withdraw from the electric Ford Transit Connect project in North America. We are therefore no longer proceeding with developing the Smith Ampere vehicle for the rest of the world.
See more information at www.smithelectricvehicles.com for the world corporate site and www.sev-us.com for the North America site.
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