Smith Electric Vehicles

• Smith Electric Vehicles appoints ElecTruckCity in France
• Smith vehicles on display at Solutrans exhibition in Lyon
• First customer deliveries expected in 2nd half of 2010

Smith Electric Vehicles, the leading manufacturer of electric commercial vehicles, is expanding its European sales.

The UK-based manufacturer has appointed ElecTruckCity as the sole importer in France of its Smith Newton, the world's best-selling electric truck. ElecTruckCity will also be a distributor for the Smith Edison, a pure electric version of the Ford Transit van.

To celebrate nine decades of producing low carbon commercial vehicles, Smith Electric Vehicles has taken one of the largest stands at the Commercial Vehicle Operator Show – some 400sq m – to exhibit its full range of Smith Edison electric vans and minibuses, based on the Ford Transit chassis.

2010 marks the 90th anniversary of Smith Electric Vehicles, which can trace its roots back to Newcastle upon Tyne in 1920.

Smith Electric Vehicles is providing a fleet of vans for a new project aiming to shape Germany's low carbon future.

Smith is supplying 10 Edison vans to Ford of Europe, which is a partner in the colognE-mobil project in Cologne, launched today (FEB 22nd).

The first phase of the project will examine the potential benefits of electric commercial vehicles in Cologne, then forecast how they could impact on Germany's plans to deploy 1million zero emission vehicles by 2020.

THE world's best-selling electric truck is successfully targeting the billion-dollar buying power of the US Government.

• Smith Newton first electric truck to win Federal procurement standard
• Federal agencies ordered to reduce emissions

Smith Electric Vehicles is trialling a fuel cell that could double the range of its battery-powered vans and trucks.

Electric commercial vehicles have a maximum range of around 100 miles (160km) which makes them ideal for low mileage urban operations. However, by adding a small hydrogen fuel cell as a range extender, the vehicles will be able to achieve closer to 200 miles (320km).

Kevin Harkin, Sales Director for Smith Electric Vehicles, said: "Utilising a fuel cell range extender opens up exciting new possibilities for our electric vans and trucks.

Battery-powered vans and trucks from Smith Electric Vehicles will be on display at the world's major climate change conference this weekend.

Smith is exhibiting both its Edison electric van and Newton electric truck in Copenhagen, as part of the COP15 Climate Conference.

Smith Electric Vehicles is celebrating, after leading a successful campaign to win UK tax breaks for electric vans.

The Chancellor Alistair Darling, in his Pre-Budget Report, today announced a 100% capital allowance for companies purchasing electric vans. This means fleet operators can write down the entire cost of buying an electric van in the first year of ownership.

This Christmas, John Lewis Oxford Street will be the first retailer to offer shoppers an environmentally sustainable way to travel to the West End.

The department store is introducing an electrically-powered, nine-seat "business class" customer shuttle bus. The service, which is operated by Green Urban Transport Sustainable initiative (GUTSi), will provide shoppers with a green alternative to driving their cars into central London.

Sainsbury's has announced it is to purchase 50 electric vans for its online grocery delivery service. When added to the existing fleet of 20, the supermarket will have the largest fleet of electric vans in the world according to UK manufacturer, Smith Electric Vehicles.*

The vans will be deployed in the London area, meaning 60 per cent of central Londoners will have their groceries delivered in one of these environmentally responsible vehicles.

LEEDS City Council has ordered four electric vans as part of a drive to green its fleet.

The council is buying four Smith Edison electric vans for its municipal fleet. The Smith Edison panel van is a pure electric version of the Ford Transit that is driven by an electric motor and powered by leading edge lithium-ion batteries. Designed and built in the UK by Smith Electric Vehicles, Edison has a top speed of 50mph and a range of up to 100 miles on a single battery charge. A full recharge takes six to eight hours.