Tanfield to build new electric truck factory, confirms order with Enova
So, how is the EV-building business going? Just fine, if you ask any of the executives over at the Tanfield Group PLC. Expecting to surpass the £120 million mark in sales this year, the owner of the worlds oldest electric vehicle manufacturer, Smith EV, is "close to signing a deal on a new North-East factory" according to a story in today's edition of The Northern Echo. With this expansion they also expect to hire another 300 people. The company is going to need the extra employees and production capacity if it's going to achieve its goal of building 3,000 trucks in the UK and the U.S. in 2009. It's current facility, located in Washington, can only churn out 1,500 a year and they also need a bit of space to build some of their other products.
You can't build trucks if you don't have the parts, so to that end, an order to Enova for 4,000 of their 90kW and 120kW electric drive components has been announced. The Smith Newton (pictured above) is 7.5 ton vehicle and will be powered by the 120kw drive system while its little brother, the Edison, will be fitted with a 90kw drive train. Delivery of these essential bits has already begun.
Gallery: EVS23: Smith Electric Truck
Related:
- EVS23: The green machine - Smith Electric Truck comes to America
- Smith EV announces electric truck factory for the US
- Smith Electric Vehicles, Enova partner up for zero-emission van, truck
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David Wright 9:45AM (2/27/2008)
And in addition to that proposed additional factory in north-east England, they are about to build a new 300,000 sq ft factory somewhere in the USA, so they can build their 12 ton US-specification delivery truck there, ramping up production towards 10,000 a year by 2010. The first few hundred of these will be made in Fresno, California, at a factory already owned by the company. Production is starting there immediately.
Reply