CERRITOS, CA - Attendees at the Aug. 24 NAFA Pacific Southwest Chapter meeting in Cerritos, Calif., had the opportunity to take a ride in the City of Santa Monica, Calif.'s all-electric medium-duty truck, manufactured by Southern Calif.-based ZeroTruck.

According to Fleet Superintendent Rick Sikes, the truck is used daily by the water department. "This truck meets the needs of our Water Division and the goals of our Sustainable City Plan to reduce emissions and reduce our use of petroleum."

The all-electric medium-duty truck used by Santa Monica is one of only two trucks built so far, according to Tedd Abramson, ZeroTruck founder. The other unit, Abramson said, is a prototype used for demonstrations. Production requires a three-month timeframe.

Based on the Isuzu N series chassis, the ZeroTruck offers a low cab forward design, a fully automated transmission, up to 100-mile range with full highway capability, advanced lithium batteries, and regenerative braking, and is powered by a UQM PowerPhase 100 advanced electric motor. The vehicle is equipped with a Scelzi utility body for use in the City of Santa Monica's fleet, but can be outfitted to other applications including sweeper and dump truck.

According to Abramson, the truck battery can operate for 6-8 hours when fully charged, and is designed to last 8 years.

Abramson noted a $20,000 battery voucher is available through the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to offset the $150,000 cost of the unit.