Alkane kicks off production at new facility

© Alkane Truck CompanyWe've kind of always felt there's something Chinese about these trucks and yes, indeed there is

The company, headquartered in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, currently leases a manufacturing facility in Summerville and produces its LPG-, CNG- and LNG-powered vehicles there, but when the new factory is complete, production will be shifted there. It's expected to happen in the first quarter of 2016 and the trucks made in Summerville will be distributed via 130 dealerships in the US and Canada.

The 100-thousand-square-foot new facility will achieve full capacity within two years of completion. To reach the goal, Alkane will hire more than 300 new technicians and workers to implement the new product line as soon as possible. Alkane's cabover trucks are based on Daimler Foton engineless gliders imported from China, equipped with Cummins' (for CNG/LNG variants) or Power Solutions International's (LPG) engines and Eaton transmissions in the US.

We have the first and currently the only cab over truck of this weight class powered exclusively with either LPG or CNG in America; that is special. We will be hiring well over 300 automotive technicians and adding employees as we continue to expand our business to include additional models.

Bob Smith, CEO of Alkane