Smith Electric Vehicles Awarded GSA Schedule
Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corporation (Smith) announced today it has been added to the GSA Schedule under solicitation number QMAE-T4-091003-N, allowing U.S. government agencies and military forces to purchase Smith’s all-electric, fuel- and emissions-free commercial trucks.
GSA establishes long-term, government-wide contracts with commercial firms that streamline purchasing for government agencies. GSA Automotive is responsible for procuring more than $1 billion in vehicles and automotive services each year. The Smith Newton is the only all-electric medium/heavy-truck offering on the GSA schedule.
President Obama issued an executive order in October requiring for the first time that all federal agencies measure their greenhouse gas emissions and set a plan to reduce them. The order specifically mandates a 30 percent reduction in fleet vehicle petroleum use by 2020.
“Smith’s addition to the GSA schedule will provide a significant new opportunity for federal agencies to reduce fleet vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and open a previously untapped market for commercial electric vehicles,” said Bryan Hansel, CEO of Smith. “An aggressive move into this market by the federal government will allow producers to rapidly scale up production, lowering costs throughout the industry and driving the creation of high-quality manufacturing jobs.”
The Smith Newton is powered exclusively by battery, runs without noise or vibration, and stores electric energy during stopping through a process called regenerative braking. It has a top speed of 50 mph, a range on one battery charge in excess of 100 miles and a payload of over 16,000 pounds. Smith Electric Vehicles feature the latest in Lithium-ion battery cell technology, power management and all- electric drivetrain. The Smith Newton is the only medium/heavy duty truck to be certified by the California Air Resources Board.
Smith, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a privately held company owned by Private Investors Management and The Tanfield Group Plc, based in the United Kingdom. Tanfield is the parent company of Smith Electric Vehicles in the U.K., the leading manufacturer of zero-emissions battery-electric commercial vehicles in Europe since the 1920s.
Smith Electric Vehicles has produced the Newton truck in Europe for more than three years and has sold vehicles to major fleet operators in sectors such as mail and parcel delivery, logistics, retail, highway maintenance and airports.