Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford
Confirmed: Smith electric to build the Ampere and the Faraday II
The rumor has now been confirmed. Smith Electric Vehicles launched the Ampere electric van at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham NEC. If the Ampere looks like a Ford Transit Connect to you, nicely done. It's built on the Transit Connect chassis. The EVs specs are quite respectable: a 70mph maximum speed with a range "in excess" of 100 miles. It is powered by a 50kw motor and an under-slung lithium-ion battery pack, which leaves the van's full interior volume available for carrying capacity. The Ampere has a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 2,340kg and a payload capacity of up to 800kg. Smith's factory in Washington, Tyne & Wear will start production of the Ampere for European markets later this year.
At the CVS, Smith EV also announced the Faraday II, an EV truck using the Ford F650 chassis cab. This larger truck has a GVW of up to 13,000kg and is expected to have similar specifications to the Smith Newton truck that is sold in the UK and Europe. Specs are: top speed of 50mph and a range of more than 100 miles on one battery charge. Finally, Smith also confirmed that the Newton will use now Iron Phosphate lithium-ion battery packs instead of Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries. Those batteries had been used since the Newton launched in 2006,
Gallery: Smith EV's Ampere and Faraday II
[Source: Smith EV]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kert 9:47AM (4/16/2008)
any word on batteries in Ampere ? lifepo as well ? that is great news.
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Dave 11:36AM (4/16/2008)
Xavier,
Any word on what these will cost? Perfect for a lot of blue collar jobs around my town.
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Kevin Nugent 7:27PM (4/16/2008)
yeah what are the cost !! . Fed ex and ups could buy these and still make millions in profit .
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Rick 8:48PM (4/16/2008)
Is the 70mph a physical design limitation or is that limited by choice? It just seems to me a little more enticing if the speed wasbn't limited to 70mph. The speedlimit is 70mph in a lot of places, so you'd not be able to pass or have any power leftover. I think 80mph would also look better on paper.
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Xavier Navarro 9:53AM (4/17/2008)
To Dave,
The prices for the US aren't yet confirmed - but they're high in the UK, roughly 50% more expensive than diesel counterparts.
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