TNT
In December 2006, Smith supplied the world's first 7.5 tonne high performance electric Newton vehicles to leading express, mail and logistics operator TNT.
Following successful trials of the Newton, TNT placed an order for another 50 vehicles in 2007 and a further 50 vehicles in 2008.
“This is a huge step forward for our fleet. Not only is this one of the most environmentally friendly vehicles on the market, there are also potential significant cost savings in the long-term.
This vehicle is exempt from the London congestion charge - approximately £1,750 a year - incurs no road tax and is battery-driven. It costs just £25 a week to recharge the battery as opposed to £110 spent on fuel for a diesel vehicle.
”Tom Bell, Managing Director of TNT Express Services UK & Ireland
The Smith Newton, is the world's first high performance 7.5 tonne electric vehicle. It is the first ever in its class that can compete with its diesel equivalent - but without the polluting effects of harmful emissions and CO2 emissions. It is also virtually silent, causing negligible noise pollution.
The TNT Newton is powered by four large 278v batteries positioned on the underside of the truck that can propel the vehicle up to 50mph. Fully charged, the vehicle has a range of up to 100 miles. It can be re-charged through a standard three-phase socket.
As well as being zero emission, the Newton's body panels are built from an ultra light, state-of-the-art fully recyclable composite material manufactured by Omnia. This substantially reduces body weight and increases the payload capacity to 4,000kg.
