Other companies and agencies taking delivery of Smith electric trucks include:
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company
- Coca-Cola
- Staples
- Frito-Lay
- AT&T
- Kansas City Power & Light
FritoLay and Pacific Gas and Electric have also expressed interest and signed on according to news sources.
Recently, a special all-electric refrigeration unit has been built and integrated into Newtons for local cold storage deliveries. The truck is a result of design and production efforts between Brown Truck Body of Lawrence, Kansas; Smith EV of Kansas City, MO; and Dole Refrigeration of Lewisburg, Tennessee. The resulting rigs have been deployed as seafood delivery trucks in pollution sensitive areas of New York City by Down East Seafoods.
There are further plans for production and distribution of Smith electric trucks in the USA. The company has a business model for a number of dispersed facilities in urban locations where the Newton might be adopted. The model estimates that each site can be up and running in 180 days, with minimal capital outlay of from $3 to $5 million US.
Each facility could produce up to 3,750 trucks per year. Each truck retails for about $175,000 US, powered by a $35,000 dollar battery pack.
The Smith Newton makes as much sense as its namesake. The big rig can haul around 16,000 lbs (7,250 kg) pushed forward by a 120 kW motor kicking out over 500 ft lbs torque. The range is 150 miles long with a recharge time at from 6-8 hours. More specs for the Newton are here.
In related developments, Smith electric trucks in the UK has developed an all electric version of the Ford Transit Connect van. Smith will be producing the Transit Connect E Van at the Kansas City facility. Specs for the Transit Connect are here.
Smith EV has also just started the first training program for electric vehicles. The new Smith EV Apprenticeship Programme will be given at Gateshead College, England. The four-year syllabus includes a mix of classes plus hands-on training.
In BC Canada, Novex Delivery Solutions is making an addition of two Smith electric trucks to its fleet. Novex figures they will save $25,000 Canadian in diesel yearly, as well as a CO2 reduction of some 58 tons per year.
Frito Lay is now ferrying potato chips about with Smith EV trucks. The snack concern estimates $400 US per year in electric power vs $10,000 per truck for diesel. The chip giant runs some 280 Smith EV trucks.
In NYC and nearby Canada, Frito-Lay North America will commission a total of 176 battery-powered Smith EVs. To begin, five will be operated in the cities of New York City; Fort Worth, Texas; and Columbus, Ohio. Canada will plug in six more.
Electric and natural gas utility Xcel Energy has ordered up a small fleet of Transit Connect Vans. Xcel will also provide $20,000 US support for each of 11 more vans for its partners.
Smith trucks may soon be piloted by US government civilian and military drivers. The GSA has added Smith EV as a supplier. It appears that about 77% of Department of Defense petroleum goes to to fuel vehicles alone!
In further Smith USA news, Smith UK has sold its interest in the company to its United States branch. Smith US assumed a 51% share in the company for some $15 million US.
The new Smith Electric Vehicles Corp. Has filed for an IPO. The new outfit wants to raise some $125 million worth of Nasdaq related cash through the offering.
Smith will be opening a new $5 million production facility in the Bronx, NY. The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp provides some $1.7 million in tax incentives to sweeten the deal.
Profits Down
Despite Smith EV trucks rolling out the door, profits are down. The company lost some $52.5 million in 2011, though revenue from EV sales and maint. Took in $49.9 million. Smith aims to produce around 400 trucks, and go public in 2012.
Smith electric trucks are still running. The UK based company has been producing commercial EVs since the 1920s. You may have noticed the quiet running Smith milk delivery vans in British films, or on the street if you reside in Britain. Smith has experienced an on and off again EV production with changing markets producing EVs for use from groceries to nuclear facilities.
The company itself has managed to stay afloat, and now delivers the largest range of EVs in the world. In 2005 Smith produced a prototype of Newton, a heavy hauler with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 12,000 kg or 26,400 lbs.
Smith opened production facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, USA late in 2009. Plans for high production rates have not been met, and the company has been producing around a half a dozen Newtons per month in 2010. The company called SEV North America has already signed agreements with Canteen Corporation for Smith electric trucks.
