Smith Electric Vehicles Evaluating Enova 120kW Drive System
13 November 2006
Enova Systems has entered into an evaluation project with Smith Electric Vehicles, a division of The Tanfield Group Plc (TAN) and the world’s largest producer of road-going commercial electric vehicles.
Enova is supplying its 120kW Electric Drive System to power Smith vehicles on a trial basis. The first operational Smith vehicle fitted with Enova’s system is expected to be complete in December 2006. Smith is expected to complete final evaluation of Enova’s system by early 2007.
The 120kW drive motor in the Enova system develops 650 Nm (480 lb-ft) of torque.
Smith vehicles are used for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications including urban delivery, healthcare, airport and municipal services. It has a worldwide customer base of more than 500 clients, including major supermarkets and global logistics companies.
A typical Smith Electric vehicle can achieve ranges of more than 100 miles between battery charges and speeds of 50 mph. Because they are zero emission, Smith Electric Vehicles are exempt from the London Congestion Charge and also qualify for free parking in parts of central London .They also qualify for other tax breaks and license exemptions.
I think EVs are really going to take off in London because of that congestion charge & the price of gasoline over there.
An EV with no transmission, no IC engine, no exhaust system, no catalytic converter should cost LESS than an IC car.
The only thing extra on the EV is the battery.
A 10kWh battery would cost about $4000. It would have range of about 40 miles.
A 20kWh battery would cost about $8000. It would have range of about 80 miles.
Factor in the savings of congestion charge, savings in fuel costs, and (hopefully soon) cheaper metro EVs -- then who in the world would buy a gas car for London.
On the weekends, take the train. Or rent a car.
Europe is going to beat the US on this one. Too bad they sold all their car companies to US companies who are now sitting on them, stifling innovation. It'll be Japanese cars or new entrants that make these cheaper metro electric cars.
Posted by: Matt | 13 November 2006 at 12:25 PM
Matt wrote:
then who in the world would buy a gas car for London
Yet, Range Rovers and BMW X5 are extremely popular...
Other than that, I agree on most of your points.
The congestion charge is a very effective way of tackling traffic and GHG problems at once. (I do not need to hear all the usual protests from the anti-tax crowd - I am aware of them)
Stockholm has tested a congestion charge recently and it has received positive response from the public.
Dense urban centres should be off-limits to large diesel-trucks, at least when viables (not necessarily economically competitive) alternatives exist.
Posted by: Thomas Pedersen | 14 November 2006 at 05:09 AM
In most cases road congestion is caused by Poor road design....typically in older cities the problem is due to narrow roads...... and poor traffic control...... as far as the cost of running these electric vehicles I look first to Prius'....... these cars cost more per mile to own than gas operated ones....... when you need a new battery the cost is sometimes more than what the car is worth......
Posted by: TomBadger | 14 November 2006 at 07:02 AM
Tom:
Agree on congestion. But not on Prius. Currently Toyota pays to Sanyo about 2000 $ per battery pack. Hardly comparable with cost of the vehicle. And the battery lasts for vehicle lifetime – big surprise even for Toyota engineers…
And the cheapest set of wheels per mile basis is 3-years old second hand Corolla.
Posted by: Andrey | 14 November 2006 at 07:25 AM
I heard that they have not sold a whole lot of Prius in London. Maybe V12 Jags are more popular, but then again perhaps they do not have to commute 100 miles per day to and from work, like some in California.
Posted by: SJC | 17 November 2006 at 09:54 AM
I think this congestion problem has to be attacked from a completely different angle.
Much of the Congestion Charge should be spent on educating
the breeding Morons to limit their numbers,no more tax deductions and other perks for irresponsible parenting.
There is no Hope for Humanity,unless immediate steps are taken in this direction.
Posted by: HHN | 18 November 2006 at 03:49 AM