Van News

UK Government chooses Smith Electric Vehicles for Electric Van Programme SMITH Electric Vehicles will play a key role in a new Government initiative to place 100 electric vans on UK roads.

And if the early stage trials are successful, this could lead to widespread subsidies for public sector procurement of battery-powered vans.

Smith Electric Vehicles, which is based in Washington, Tyne & Wear, will supply the UK Government's Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme (LCVPP), administered by the Department for Transport (DfT).

The LCVPP provides subsidies for select public sector bodies to procure electric and low carbon vans.

Smith is one of only three suppliers of electric vans included in the project and will supply the Smith Edison, which is based on the Ford Transit panel van. Edison has been on sale for more than two years - existing customers include Royal Mail, Government Car & Despatch Agency and the Environment Agency. The vehicle has a restricted top speed of 50mph and a range of up to 100 miles on a full battery charge.

The DfT will provide grant funding towards the procurement of the vehicles, covering the incremental cost of the low carbon option compared with a conventional vehicle.

The first phase of the LCVPP will see a total of three suppliers deliver a maximum of 150 electric vans to 12 public sector bodies, including the Royal Mail, HMRC, Government Car & Despatch Agency, Metropolitan Police, Environment Agency, Transport for London and six consortia of local authorities, including one for Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council.

Four out of the 12 participating end users were already using the Smith Edison van in their fleets prior to the announcement of this programme.

The DfT is collating the requirements of the participating end users and will shortly inform each supplier of the number of vehicles it will be producing for phase one.
If the first phase of the programme is successful, the DfT will look at the opportunity to expand the trials into the wider public sector.

Darren Kell, CEO of The Tanfield Group Plc, which owns Smith Electric Vehicles, said: "This programme gives us the opportunity to strengthen existing customer relationships and expand our end user base.

"We will be working hard to ensure that this first phase is a success, so that the DfT rolls out a wider subsidy programme to the public sector as a whole."

Chris Pywell, Head of Strategic Economic Change at One North East, said: "This is an important step forward in the development of electric vehicles in the North East. Commercial electric vehicles are the here and now and Smith Electric Vehicles are proof of that.

"Having more electric vehicles on the streets of Newcastle and Gateshead will further demonstrate that they are a serious and viable option for the fleets of private sector organisations, as well as for public sector partners."