Smith to supply Newton to federal agencies and military

Smith Electric Vehicles said recently that the company’s Newton vehicle has been granted with consent for procurement by federal agencies and the military. The company informed that General Services Administration (GSA), which purchases over $1 billion in vehicles annually, added the Newton to its listing.

All federal agencies this 2010 is required for the first time to monitor the amount of carbon their vehicles generate and to submit a proposal to cut emissions. Officials from the US Navy and the Department of Agriculture had earlier signed an agreement intended to boost the utilization of alternative energy and biofuel in the military.

The current US administration is also obliging federal agencies to trim down vehicle consumption of petroleum by up to 30 per cent by 2020. In a statement, Bryan Hansel, CEO of Smith, said that the company’s inclusion to GSA’s listing will help lessen federal agencies’ emissions.

According to Smith, the Newton is powered completely by battery, runs without vibration or noise, and stores energy during stopping through a process called regenerative braking. The electric-powered Newton vehicle boasts a top speed of 50mph and a range of 100 miles in one charge. The vehicle can also carry up to 16,000lbs of weight, making it the only heavy duty electric truck to be certified.

Smith has marketed the Newton in Europe for more than three years already and will start production in the US by October. The automaker has already sold the vehicle to companies engaged in mail and parcel delivery, retail, airports, highway maintenance and logistics.