Electric Trucks * USA - Study: Should last at least 10 years

Kansas City,MO,USA -Transport Engineer, by Brian Tinham -2 Dec 2010: -- Data gathered from Smith Electric Vehicles appears to shed new light on the residual value debate for electric vans and trucks... Electric trucks should last at least 10 years says study...  Tests on new lithium-ion phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries used in electric commercial vehicles indicate that they should lead productive working lives for at least a decade... The research, which was carried out by Smith Electric Vehicles on its Edison and Newton vans and light trucks, provides interesting data... Harkin states that Smith Electric Vehicles' own research – and independent tests commissioned by the firm – have verified that the battery should still have a "minimum of 80% capacity after 3,000 cycles"... Smith Electric moved to LiFePO4 for their longer life, durability and better performance. Smith now guarantees its batteries for five years, as opposed to the three-year warranty on Zebra batteries... Harkin also makes the point that, because the drive train on a Smith vehicle is friction-free, it does not wear in the same way as an internal combustion engine... (Photo: Control panel on a electric truck)