Smith Electric Vehicles Corp., an all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, unveiled the Newton Step Van, an all-electric, zero-emission vehicle built on the versatile Newton platform that features a walk-in body produced by Indiana-based Utilimaster.
Smith announced the launch of the Newton Step Van in Indianapolis at the NTEA Work Truck Show, North America’s largest vocational truck and equipment event. FedEx Express will be the first company to deploy the Newton Step Vans in the United States.
The Newton Step Van offers a gross vehicle weight of 14,000 pounds to 26,000 pounds and a range of approximately 100 miles on a single charge. The vehicle incorporates Smith’s proprietary Smith Drive, Smith Power and Smith Link technologies to provide superior power train performance, battery management efficiency and remote system monitoring.
“The leadership shown by FedEx in adopting all-electric vehicles has been instrumental to growing the industry,” said Bryan Hansel, CEO and chairman of Smith. “We welcome FedEx and look forward to successful vehicle deployments that demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of fleet electrification.”
The first Newton Step Vans are expected to be deployed in select U.S. markets throughout the remainder of 2012.
For a photo gallery of the 2012 NTEA Work Truck Show, click here.
