Isuzu says it is not rushing its local electric truck project and that I tis taking a cautious approach since announcing the program in 2018.
The company would not be drawn on when it might be ready to roll out the electric truck it is working on in Australia with local electric vehicle specialist, SEA, except to say that they are continuing to work closely with SEA to bring the package to fruition.
‘We are working closer with SEA and we now have a very close relationship with them but we are not going to rush things and we have to tick all the boxes,” said Isuzu COO Andrew Harbison.
“We want it to succeed and they want it to succeed and we are cautious and ensuring that all the boxes are ticked before we proceed,” he added.
The company explained that while its parent company in Japan has electric truck options, which were on display at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, the collaboration with SEA was to ensure it could offer local customers the longer range they are demanding.
“Isuzu in Japan already has about 50 electric trucks running in customer fleets over there but they are a different type of truck to the sot our customers are telling us they want in Australia,” said Harbison.
“The Japanese truck is a 7.5 tonne GVM and has a range of about 100km but our customer need a 200km battery range and a better GVM,” he added.
“Isuzu has already successfully pioneered an electric truck program in the US in a joint venture with Knorr Dresser, so it our program with SEA is not a precedent, Harbison emphasised.
Harbison said the next phase is to see how we roll it out.
‘Part of the final integration is to see how we put it into the work place and to see how that works,” he added.
