Smith to Build Electric Trucks in U.S.

Smith Electric Vehicles said it plans to establish a factory in the United States to produce up to 10,000 battery-powered trucks a year, starting in 2010.

Smith’s electric vehicles range in size from 7,000 pounds to 25,000 pounds, can reach a top speed of 50 miles per hour and operate with a range of about 150 miles on a single battery charge.

Darren Kell, chief executive officer of Smith parent company The Tanfield Group PLC in Great Britain, said research shows a potential market in the United States of about 200,000 units a year for commercial electric vehicles.

Smith currently operates a facility in Fresno, Calif., which has the capacity to produce 1,000 vehicles a year.

The company also is looking for a new facility in the United Kingdom to produce up to 5,000 vehicles a year for customers in Europe and the U.K.