Dear Reader

I am proud to inform you that our Smith Newton electric truck is now in production in North America.

I should say, 'the award-winning Smith Newton'; as our vehicle has been crowned Ireland's best electric truck for 2010. You can read the judges' glowing comments below.

Following the increasing success of Newton and our Edison platform, we have decided to concentrate solely on these two products for Europe. This means we are no longer proceeding with plans to produce the Smith Ampere, an electric version of the Ford Transit Connect.

Finally, if you're a public sector fleet manager, come and meet us at the YPO event taking place in Wakefield next month.

Remember, if you are thinking about converting your fleet to electric you can find out more at our website at www.SmithElectricVehicles.com.

Kevin Harkin, Sales Director, Smith Electric Vehicles

FIRST ELECTRIC TRUCK ROLLS OFF THE LINE IN NORTH AMERICA

Staples were one of the first customers to take delivery of the Smith Newton

We are temporarily shipping over the Smith Newton trucks from the UK in kit form, while five British workers train the US workforce. SEV US Corp expects to be building complete trucks from components later this month.

Launched in the UK in 2006, the Smith Newton is the world's largest road-going electric truck. Three models are available in Europe, with gross vehicle weights of 7,500 - 12,000kg. The Newton has a restricted top speed of 50mph (80km/h) and its lithium-ion batteries deliver a range of up to 100 miles (160km) on a single charge. A full recharge takes 6-8 hours.

SEV US Corp owns the license to assemble and sell the Newton in North America. All design and product development work is conducted by Smith Electric Vehicles in the UK.

SEV US Corp now has an order book for 255 Newton trucks and is to receive additional funding from the Department of Energy for 65 Newtons. This is on top of the $10m DoE funding SEV US Corp won earlier this year!

Furthermore, SEV US Corp is to produce a prototype electric delivery van for the United States Postal Service.

Given the huge early success of Newton and the opportunity presented by the US Postal Service vehicle, SEV US Corp has decided to withdraw from the electric Ford Transit Connect project in North America. We are therefore no longer proceeding with developing the Smith Ampere vehicle for the rest of the world.

SMITH NEWTON NAMED IRELAND'S BEST ELECTRIC TRUCK

David Mullen of Electric Vehicles Ireland receives the award from Laura Johnston of Castrol

The Smith Newton is now officially Ireland's leading electric commercial vehicle, after winning a new award for green trucks.

The judging panel heaped praise on the Smith Newton:

"The Smith Newton was a revelation", stated one of the adjudicators. "While electric vehicles are still in their infancy, the Newton showed that they can work in real life. The vehicle presented for test does a days work every day the same as any other vehicle in the Grange Builders Providers fleet. With regard to the other entrants, the Newton had the feel of a ready to use truck, not a prototype still under development. To put it simply the Smith Newton is a far superior drive."

David Mullen, Managing Director of Electric Vehicles Ireland, the country's sole importer and distributor of Smith Electric Vehicles, said: "We are proud and delighted to be the first recipients of this prestigious new award.

"Three years ago, no one would have believed that a twelve tonne electric truck would be on the roads as a real, viable alternative to diesel vehicles.

"The fact that Fleet Transport has added an electric vehicle category to its awards is testament to how mainstream commercial EVs have become."

The seventh annual Fleet Transport Irish Truck of the Year Awards were announced at a gala dinner held at the Marriott Johnstown House Hotel in, Enfield. 450 representatives from the road transport industry attended the event, which was hosted by RTE TV and Radio personality Marty Whelan. Guest of honour was Ivan Hodac, Secretary General of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

SMITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES APPOINTS DISTRIBUTOR FOR HONG KONG & MACAU

Kevin Harkin, Sales Director of Smith Electric Vehicles, sealed the distribution agreement with Peter Goh, Managing Director of Sime Darby HK Ltd at the LCV09 event at Millbrook

Electric vans, trucks and people carriers will soon be on the streets in Hong Kong and Macau.

Wallace Harper & Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Hong Kong Ltd, has signed a distribution agreement with Smith Electric Vehicles in the UK. The contract appoints Wallace Harper as the exclusive distributor for Smith's world-leading electric commercial vehicles in Hong Kong and Macau.

Peter Goh, Managing Director of Sime Darby HK Ltd, said: "These pure electric vehicles are zero emission at the point of use, helping to reduce carbon emissions and improve urban air quality.

"Electric commercial vehicles provide a low carbon, zero emission, alternative to conventional vans and trucks, without compromising on performance. We envisage these electric vehicles replacing substantial numbers of traditional diesel vehicles in major towns and cities."

Designed for urban operations, the Smith vehicles have a top speed of 50mph and a range on a single battery charge of up to 100 miles. The Smith Edison van and minibus are based on the Ford Transit chassis and are produced in collaboration with Ford of Europe. The Smith Newton is the world's largest road-going electric truck, available in 7,500kg, 10,000kg and 12,000kg models. Both Edison and Newton have been on sale in the UK and Europe for over two years, with customers including DHL, TNT and the Royal Mail.

Wallace Harper, which is also the exclusive Ford distributor for Hong Kong, has already ordered its first fleet of vehicles from Smith, including electric trucks, vans and minibuses. The vehicles, due for delivery early next year, are destined for major fleet operators across the public and private sectors in Hong Kong and Macau.

Hong Kong is driving forward a strategy to be a leader in the adoption of electric vehicles, as a measure to improve urban air quality and reduce carbon emissions from road transport. It is a key market for Smith, so we are delighted to have found the strongest possible partner in Wallace Harper and the Sime Darby Group.

ELECTRIC TRUCK HELPS AG BARR TAKE CARBON EMISSIONS OUT OF DRINKS DELIVERIES

Environmentally friendly and economical to run - the AG Barr Smith Newton

Leading soft drinks retailer AG Barr is taking carbon emissions out of its distribution operations in London.

The company is using an electric truck to deliver IRN BRU and other famous brands to retail outlets across the capital. And the 10 tonne Smith Newton truck is helping to save money as well as the environment.

A spokesman for AG Barr said: "We invested in this new electric vehicle technology as part of our ongoing strategy to reduce our carbon footprint. However, the Newton is one example of where being green can also bring economic benefits.

"The vehicle is costing us less than 3p per kilometre to run, which is a phenomenal saving compared to what we spend on diesel for a similar truck."

Designed and built in the UK by Smith Electric Vehicles, the Newton is the world's largest road-going electric truck. Its lithium-ion batteries provide a top speed of 50mph and a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge. A full recharge takes 6-8 hours.

AG Barr is operating the vehicle from its Walthamstow depot, delivering hundreds of cases of soft drinks each day across London.

AG Barr's spokesman said: "Our drivers love the Newton because it is quiet and very easy to operate. We are continuing to assess the vehicle's performance, but are already looking at where else we can deploy electric vehicles in our fleet."

SMITH TO EXHIBIT AT PUBLIC SECTOR EVENT

Smith Electric Vehicles is attending a major public sector buyers' event next month.

We will be showcasing our leading electric commercial vehicles at the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) event in Wakefield on December 4th. YPO is the UK's largest local authority supplies consortium, with over 70 local authorities, from City of Edinburgh down to Dorset, purchasing their vehicles through it.

The event will be attended by a large number of invited buyers from the public sector in the north of England.

We will bring you further details after the event.