SANTA MONICA, CA – The City of Santa Monica has purchased the first ZeroTruck all-electric zero emission medium-duty truck to help reduce emissions and petroleum use. The vehicle will be equipped with a Scelzi utility body for use in the city.

"This truck meets the needs of our Water Division and the goals of our Sustainable City Plan," said Fleet Superintendent Rick Sikes. "A zero emission medium-duty truck is something that has never been available to us until now."

The ZeroTruck is an all-electric zero emission medium-duty truck based on the Isuzu N series chassis and is the only U.S.-built electric truck offered for sale in the U.S. in 2009, according to the manufacturer. The ZeroTruck offers a low cab forward design, a fully automated transmission, up to 100-mile range with full highway capability, advanced lithium batteries, an onboard battery charger, regenerative braking, and powered by a UQM PowerPhase 100 advanced electric motor. Delivery will be through South Bay Truck Center of Carson, Calif. (a ZeroTruck dealer).

"The vehicle is a realistic solution for fleets to go 'zero emission' and will be used for evaluation and demonstration to other state and local governments expected to continue to reduce emissions with the number one choice, electric," said Electrorides CEO Tedd Abramson. "By encouraging fleets to go zero-emission with future vehicle purchases makes sense and we commend the SCAQMD and Santa Monica for taking leadership positions with the plug-in electric/zero emission approach."

Electrorides' electric drive integration system (EDIS) converts Class 3-5 trucks to run on electric power with a highway speed of 55 mph, and up to 100 miles per battery charge using lithium polymer battery technology. This range is ideal for the medium-duty market, as most usage for this type of vehicle is less than 100 miles/day using dozens of body configurations.

The ZeroTruck is currently listed on the GSA buy list under alternative-fueled vehicles.