Four major corporations and two utility companies are now employing electric vehicle technology. Officials from Coca-Cola, Staples, Frito-Lay and AT&T participated in the launch event on Capitol Hill, where the benefits of the no-emissions product from English manufacturer Smith Electric Vehicles were also touted. The trucks are powered by Lithium-ion batteries and a 120kw electric motor and are capable of a top speed of 50 mph and traveling a range in excess of 100 miles on a full charge.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The largest road-going electric truck in North America has come into the hands of four major corporations and two utility companies.

Coca-Cola, Staples, Frito-Lay, AT&T, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) have taken delivery of the Smith Newton, an electric conceived by English manufacturer Smith Electric Vehicles. An official ceremony marking the delivery took place recently on Capitol Hill.

“The electric vehicle technology delivered to these customers today can readily be delivered to fleets in every major town and city in North America,” Darren Kell, CEO of The Tanfield Group Plc, which owns Smith Electric Vehicles. “The Smith Newton provides depot-based truck fleets with a realistic, zero emissions transport solution that both lowers greenhouse gas emissions and helps improve air quality in our urban centres.”

Powered by the latest Lithium-Ion batteries and a 120kw electric motor, officials say the Smith Newton has a top speed of 50mph (80 km/h) and a range in excess of 100 miles (160 km) on a full charge. The company says it can be recharged in six hours. Newton was launched in the UK by Smith Electric Vehicles in 2006. It is produced in North America by Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation, based in Kansas City, Mo.

Missouri Senator Kit Bond, who hosted the launch event, said: “These next generation electric vehicles Smith is producing demonstrate exactly the kind of technology we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and end our dependence on foreign oil.”

The Smith Newton is emissions-free, runs without noise or vibration, and actually reclaims electric energy during stop-start urban operations, through regenerative braking, the company said.

Three models are produced with gross vehicle weights of 7,500kg, 10,000kg and 12,000kg, providing a payload of up to 7,300kg.

[source - trucknews.com]