Smith Electric Vehicles Expanding Offerings To Small Heavy-Duty Truck Market
By John O'Dell October 29, 2009We've long believed that the world of inter-city delivery trucks is an ideal place to really push for vehicle electrification - the trucks don't usually need to travel all that far and a quiet electric motor sure beats a noisy diesel, idling by the curb and spewing noxious exhaust while the driver trundles a pallet of chips or sodas into the neighborhood convenience store.
Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. thinks so, too. and says that it's hefty Newton delivery tuck is doing so well that it is migrating the battery-electric drive system into the smaller Class 3 and Class 4 commercial truck segment (think Ford F-350 and F-450 dualies outfitted with cargo boxes).
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Smith Newton Class 5 delivery truck. New models will use same cab design but smaller chassis.
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Class 3 trucks weigh in at 5-7 tons, while Class 4 trucks are in the 7- to 8-ton range.
Newton launched in the U.S. earlier this year with Class 5-8 trucks, the 7.5- to 12-ton covered delivery and utility trucks used by companies such as Coca Cola, Frito-Lay and AT&T.
Smith says its Newton electric drive system can deliver up to 150 miles of range and a top speed of up to 50 miles an hour.
Smith U.S., headquartered in Kansas City, is an offshoot of Britain's Smith Electric Vehicles, which developed the Newton and bills it as the world's largest electric truck.
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