Electric motor group is California dreaming
Dec 5 2007 By Graeme King, The Journal
AMBITIOUS electric vehicle maker Tanfield Group is to tackle the US market saying it expects to hit sales of 10,000 a year by 2010.
The Washington-based company, which is fast outgrowing its base next to the A1(M), has recently acquired a factory in Fresno, California.
But now it is already searching for a new base – likely to be still in California – to ramp up production for the US market place.
Tanfield believes US cities offer a massive opportunity to grow its business with carbon reduction at the top of the agenda.
US companies operate massive fleets often far larger than their European equivalents.
One utility company which Tanfield executives have spoken to operates a fleet of 68,000 vehicles across the country – more than Tanfield’s existing freight and courier company customer TNT has in the whole of Europe.
The Smith Newton truck which Tanfield has just launched at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in California is the world’s largest high-performance electric truck.
A Tanfield spokesman said: “We have now launched the Newton 12-tonne truck for the US market.
“Fleet sizes there are 10 or 20 times what you have in the UK and because of the size of the urban areas, there is a market for us to tackle.
“We are looking to be building 5,000 units per year in the UK by 2010 – and we now want double that in the US.”
Tanfield’s trucks are manufactured under the Smith Electric Vehicles brand. Its first US factory will open in the new year and it plans to have a larger factory capable of producing 10,000 vehicles a year open by 2010.
Kevin Harkin, sales director for Smith Electric Vehicles, said: “Automotive manufacturers are telling us that the technology for mass-produced electric cars is some years away.
“But the larger-sized commercial vehicle – and the truck in particular – is perfectly suited to electric technology that is available today.
“There are millions of commercial vehicles in North America that work in urban areas, within defined low-mileage zones or routes. All of these machines, from light postal vehicles to heavier duty distribution trucks, can be replaced with our new-technology electric vehicles.
“And these congested, densely-populated urban areas are exactly where vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions can make the biggest improvement to air quality.”
It is powered by a rack of suitcase-sized, 278-volt batteries and a 120-kilowatt motor quickly propels the vehicle up to its top speed of 50mph.
Tanfield says the Newton can accelerate from 0-30mph faster than the equivalent diesel-powered truck.
The vehicle has a range of up to 150 miles, while the regenerative braking system returns power to the batteries every time the vehicle slows or stops.
Launched in the UK early this year, the Smith Newton is already in fleets for household names such as Starbucks, DHL and TK Maxx, along with British institutions like the Royal Mail and retailer Marks & Spencer.
