Smith Electric Vehicles Delivers EV Trucks to Major US Corporations on Capitol Hill

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1,547 views Jul 30, 2009

Smith Newton

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Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. delivered the first round of its fully electric Newton trucks this week.

The vehicles, built at the company's plant in Kansas City, are capable of traveling 150 miles at speeds up to 50 mph solely on electricity. Mainly designed for fleet use, the Newton will be utilized by several commercial companies for purposes of small scale deliveries and additional business transportation purposes.

The first truck was officially released on Tuesday at the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C.

Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. is an American based offshoot of the British EV truck company Smith Electric Vehicles. The vehicles for sales in the U.S. are built at the new facility in Kansas City.

The company has been working on EVs for years now and first showed some examples to the public back in 2007. Their focus is mainly on commercial EV products. The company will work with Ford for their next release the Ford Transit Connect EV which will be launched next year.

The first round of Newton trucks are going to commercial fleet accounts. The first companies to receive this EV are Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, AT&T, Staples, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Kansas City Power and Light.

According to the press release, the Smith Newton is fuel-emissions-free, runs without noise or vibration, and recovers electric energy during stops through regenerative braking. The Smith Newton has a top speed of 50 mph, a range on one battery charge in excess of 100 miles and a payload capacity of over 16,000 lbs.

Source: Edmunds.com, PRNewswire