Isuzu has announced that it will reveal a Japanese production spec version of its recently released global zero emission battery electric truck platform at the upcoming Brisbane Truck Show on 18-21 May.
The Isuzu battery electric light duty truck was revealed in Japan in March this year its Australian debut at the Brisbane Show will be much anticipated at a show that promises an array of zero emission trucks from a variety of truck makers and converters.
Isuzu Australia’s chief of strategy, Grant Cooper, said that showcasing the next generation model for an Australian audience hungry for zero emissions solutions had been a key priority for the brand.
It’s understood that the Isuzu ELF battery electric truck will use German transmission and component giant, ZF’s new CeTrax lite electric driveline, a factor which has allowed Isuzu to fast track the electric light duty model to market, with dramatically reduced development times.
“This is of course the very first Isuzu factory-developed zero emission battery electric production model and coming from one of the globe’s top truck manufacturers, is an amazing opportunity for Isuzu Australia, our many customers and indeed the trucking community more broadly,” Cooper said.
“The model we’ll have on display in Brisbane is the ‘world’ model, coming direct from Japan after its international premiere only a few weeks ago.
“Understandably, we’re thrilled to be able to receive such a vanguard product here in Australia and formally introduce it to the Australian truck market.”
The N Series EV was launched alongside a full model change of the light-duty N and medium-duty F Series range of trucks in early March, which Isuzu says signals a new era of model line-up under the theme of ‘Choose Your Future.’
The company says the broader ‘Choose Your Future’ slogan encapsulates Isuzu’s technology agnostic approach to achieving the company’s stated goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions from its commercial vehicle product range by 2050.
“Given the diverse variety of industries and markets the company’s products operate in, a range of different drivetrain technologies will be required to satisfy the broad array of end user applications and meet this objective,” the company said in its statement.
The company said that the recent world launch encapsulated four key themes – carbon neutrality, driver comfort, safety and connectivity. The new truck signals Isuzu’s introduction of a modular approach to its product development platform, which it says has been taken with an eye to the future.
“What will be fascinating to see play-out is Isuzu’s introduction of a modular architecture and component standard. Essentially, this allows for the optimal merging of components, parts, and devices to fulfill various needs and applications, all in anticipation of new and emerging technologies coming to the fore,” Cooper said.
“This is certainly a new and exciting way of tackling product development for Isuzu and combines the best of both worlds – existing commercial vehicle realities and the benefits of future tech,” he added.
“Never before seen in the country, the Isuzu EV platform represents a cornerstone in the future of volume production, light-duty, pick-up and last mile delivery trucking in Australia,” he said.
