Isuzu announces electric truck program

Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) has given the trucking media a glimpse of the future with two electric trucks being shown in Melbourne this week.

The two trucks, an NQR and an FSR are totally developed here in Australia by the Isuzu Australia engineering team and point to the future direction of the country’s leading truck brand.

At a press conference to announce the development of the electric vehicle program, Isuzu said that the market for electric vehicles is already strong: “Customers want the EV,” said Isuzu marketing boss Andrew Harbison.

“We are getting calls all the time from people asking when we will be bringing an electric truck to the market. We predict that by 2030, around 30 per cent of light trucks will be electric and Isuzu must be in the mix,” Harbison added.

Isuzu says that while the electric vehicle age has had a few false starts, the ‘EV’ has now well and truly arrived.

Some major obstacles to EV development, namely battery storage capacity, distance, demand, regulatory settings and cost, have all largely been overcome.

Key to EV viability has been major advancements in lithium-ion batteries in recent times. With higher power density and a life span far superior to many other batteries, lithium-ion power sources now allow vehicles to travel increased distances off a single charge.

Also bolstering the economic viability of EV has been the increasingly reduced cost of lithium-ion batteries. Their price dropped significantly between 2010 and 2016, while at the same time, sales of electric vehicles have grown by 160 per cent per annum on average.

IAL’s EV concept
Isuzu chief engineer Simon Humphries said that the Isuzu elecvtric trucks were on par with their diesel counterparts. “The NQR with a GVM of 8-9 tonnes is slightly down on power but has more torque than the diesel,” he said. “And the FSR has more power and torque than the diesel /with up to 2500Nm on offer.”

IAL said it is looking at key urban applications in the 6500kg to 14,000kg GVM class and each model would have a benchmark operating range of between 200 and 250 kilometres.

The IAL EV driveline fits with existing Isuzu commercial vehicle (CV) cab-chassis, while smart software maximises battery usage and regeneration.

In the concept trucks, the battery packs are well protected within chassis rails and with the absence of a conventional engine and transmission, weight distribution is close to that of a diesel-powered truck.

The electric trucks feature a 22kW on-board charging system and cable which reduces reliance on EV charging stations as it can be plugged into a standard industrial 400-415V three-phase socket.

Powering the EV concept models is a direct-drive permanent magnet motor, which is substantially more efficient than a reduction gear drive. The magnet motor also provides superior torque, Humphries said.

Two different battery types spanning an energy storage range between 100kW/h to 135kW/h provide the power source, while the electric motors produce 130kW to 250kW peak output.

Isuzu said that evaluation will continue through 2018 and into 2019.