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Hybrid, schmybrid. This truck runs on batteries
Friday, October 12, 2007
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As merchants wrapped up a recent day at the St. Helena Farmers Market, curious shoppers stopped for a look at the market’s newest attraction — an all-electric delivery truck freshly imported from Coventry, England.

Unlike hybrid vehicles, this two-seater runs solely on a battery.
“Oh wow!” said Colleen Chappelet as she strolled by the new truck with her 4-year-old son and his young friend. “That’s really great. How much does it cost?”

About $50,000 to $60,000 is the answer, although the vehicle is not commercially available in the U.S.
Ted and Laddie Hall, owners of Long Meadow Ranch in Rutherford, obtained a prototype and plan to use it primarily to deliver wines, oil and other products to restaurants and stores in Napa County. The Halls, who also own Rutherford Gardens, an organic farm off Highway 29, plan to use it to carry goods to sell at the St. Helena Farmers Market as well.

Ted Hall, who recharges the sodium-nickel-chloride battery at the family’s solar-powered ranch, notes the truck emits no emissions  and leaves a “zero carbon footprint.”
The Halls test-drove the truck in England last October. Ted Hall said the truck is quiet, fun and easy to drive.

“There is no compromise,” he added, as he executed a smooth U-turn.

Laddie Hall said the truck only needs to be recharged once or twice a week. Once recharged, the truck can carry a 2-ton payload and drives up to 100 miles at about 50 miles per hour.

A friend of Ted Hall’s, Jamie Borwick, invested $50 million into the development and production of the vehicle by the British firm Modec. The company has produced 80 vehicles so far, according to Modec spokesman William Doelle.

Tesco, a supermarket chain in England, has purchased eight Modec trucks, said Doelle, who did not rule out the possibility that Modec could manufacture all-electric trucks in the United States.

Doelle, who is analyzing the U.S. market for Modec, said the model must be tested by federal regulators before the all-electric truck can be sold in the United States.

Ted Hall, said one run for the new truck was to the famous Sonoma County hideaway Bohemian Grove in July.

“Everyone was amazed,” he said.

The truck is also scheduled to be shown at the International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition — or EVS 23 — Dec. 2-5 in Anaheim.

The first prototypes, designed at London Taxis International, were built four years ago.

Tony Robson, who sells fish at Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke near the Long Meadow Ranch’s stall at St. Helena Farmers Market, last week said he first loved the look of the all-electric truck and would love to put a camper on it.

“I’m so totally taken by this vehicle,” he said.
5 comment(s)

Rocco wrote on Oct 12, 2007 12:24 PM:

" Fantastic! But please note that this vehicle is only "green" because it was recharged through a solar panel. Plugging it into the wall would not be the same because we're still burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. This article clearly shows what our immediate energy future MUST look like! Great article! "

Elecbus wrote on Oct 12, 2007 12:39 PM:

" Think this is a great project for Mr. Hall. We have run electric school buses for many years in Napa. The sodium-nickel-chloride (Zebra) battery is nothing new. We had those same batteries in two of our school buses. They just don't have the life to make a $10,000 battery cost effective. In our normal day to day operation the battery would not last a full school year. Batteries are the real issue on electric vehicles. It is easy to make an electric vehicle of any size....and make them run very well. The issue will be the batteries. The right batteries that can do the job are so costly ($50,000+). Every company that builds electric vehicles will tell you the batteries will last for years......well, we have used many types. Our buses are parked now until we can find the next best that wants to try their luck in a school bus. Again, Mr. Hall...good job! It will only happen when people want to try and make them work. "

Monkey wrote on Oct 12, 2007 2:34 PM:

" This fits the need for your business very well and charging from the solar panels is even better but is it not charged by a plug that get's electricity from the grid and the panels subsidize that electricity from the grid. SO you are still using electricity. The other questions I have is this; do batties when being charged give off gases that are not good for the environment? What do we do as a society if battery operated cars and trucks really take off. What will we do with all of these batteries that expire. The acids in batteries are not friendly to people or the environment. You can't throw away batteries in the garbage from all the gadgets we use now. What will we do with all of these huge batteries? I don't want to be a spoiler because I know we need to do our part ot be green but do you really think this is a good option long term or is this a marketing scheme? Running a diesel engine on 100% virgin oil would be a better solution. "

Kevin wrote on Oct 12, 2007 4:08 PM:

" If it only does 50 mph, how does he go up and down the valley? Its 55 on Hwy 29 and at least 80 on the trail... "

Kevin wrote on Oct 12, 2007 4:11 PM:

" I wouldn't want to get in a wreck with all those batteries, either. Have you seen a battery explode? (They produce hydrogen). Wonder if it has passed any crash testing, roll over, etc... "

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