Commercial electric vehicle manufacturer set to expand
Smith Electric Vehicles, the largest manufacturer of electric vans and trucks, has announced plans to expand by building a major production facility in the US.
The company, which includes DHL, Starbucks and the Royal Mail among its UK customers, will build a new facility with the capacity to deliver up to 10,000 zero-carbon vehicles by 2010, Reuters reported.
While the firm is yet to announce the location for its new plant, it claims there is a significant US market for its commercial vehicles.
"Electric vehicles offer a next-generation automotive industry for America. Ten thousand vehicles a year is a substantial commitment, but we believe that is just the start," Darren Kell, chief executive of the firms owners, the Tanfield Group, told the website.
"Our initial research shows that there is an addressable market in the USA of around 200,000 units a year for our commercial electric vehicles," he added.
Smith Electric Vehicles currently has production facilities in both the UK and US, though Reuters reported that it is in the process of looking to move to a larger UK base in 2008 to allow it to serve the British and European markets.
Article Date: 19 December 2007
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