A factory that will have the ability to produce up to 10,000 zero emission electric vehicles per year is going to be opening in the U.S., and Smith Electric Vehicles, the company behind this, is ready to get these cars out to the public by the year 2010. It’s a pretty big goal for any company to pursue, but Smith Electric Vehicles already has two successful manufacturing facilities in Fresno, California and in the U.K., and they’re ready to offer their products to a wider portion of the American population.

The Electric Vehicle

One of the greatest inventions ever made to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles is the electric car. An electric car is just like your favorite battery-operated toy: it needs to be recharged before you can play with it. It is basically composed of an electric motor, a controller and a battery. You can plug the battery in an electrical outlet to charge overnight before any big trips. The best thing about electric cars is that they produce no tail pipe exhaust, thus making them less harmful to the environment.

Smith Electric Vehicles

Smith Electric Vehicles is owned by The Tanfield Group Plc, a progressive manufacturing company located in the U.K. that has three main operations: specialist vehicles, powered access and engineering. Smith Electric Vehicles is an extension of the specialist vehicle operation. Founded in 1920, Smith Electric Vehicles has successfully become the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles. It has a collection of vehicles that include 7,000 pound vans and 25,000 pound trucks.

An example of one of their most popular vehicles is the Smith Edison. Reaching speeds of up to 50 mph, the Smith Edison is the perfect vehicle for city and short-distance travel.

Ready, Set, Go!

Smith Electric Vehicles already has 1,500 vehicles lined up to go on the market in the U.K. for 2008, and some of the clients ready to grab these low-emission vehicles include Starbucks and DHL. The U.S. goal of the company is to acquire at least 300 acres and to build a 500,000 square foot factory to get these vehicles out to the American public. This would not only benefit American companies and environmentalists by lowering gas consumption, but it would also create hundreds of jobs for the American people.

I’m excited for this facility to get up and running! It seems that the U.K. has always been ahead of us in regards to eco-friendly technology, and I’m just glad that they’re willing to extend their practices to our country. Hopefully this will become a global movement and we can get many other countries to go green!