Through its Australian arm, Japanese automaker Isuzu debuted its first-ever battery electric truck at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show. Brisbane Truck Show was organised at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from May 18 to 21, 2023.
The electric truck on display at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre was a Japanese production spec N Series EV, which utilizes the latest next-gen platform the brand launched in Japan a few weeks ago.
According to Isuzu’s press release prior to the event, the Australian debut of the N Series EV is a “key priority” for the company.
Isuzu’s new modular platform approach
IAL Chief of Strategy Grant Cooper stated that the product debut and local adoption strategies primarily intend to meet the varying needs of Australian customers.
“The process of specifying and proving the Australian line-up will be a rigorous and comprehensive procedure and it’s something that we’ve been working intensively on for some time as we’ve sought to comprehensively understand how commercial ZEVs can meet our customers’ needs, in line with the available technology and operating parameters.
From a design and flexibility standpoint, our battery electric showcase model is representative of Isuzu’s new modular platform approach (Isuzu Modular Architecture and Component Standard or I-MACS), which underpins Isuzu’s carbon neutral objectives.”
IAL Chief of Strategy Grant Cooper
The I-MACS technique allows for the truck’s more efficient components to be improved, modified, or swapped out as they become available over time per this ground-breaking design philosophy.
“This allows for both internal combustion or diesel powertrains, and zero emission powertrains, from the same base truck platform.
It is important to note the cabin and battery configuration of the display model may not be representative of our first EV product for Australian customers. It does however demonstrate the design and flexibility of our new modular platform.”
IAL Chief of Strategy Grant Cooper
About the N Series EV
The new Isuzu N series EV offers a dual battery configuration, meeting Australia’s demand for last-mile delivery and local council applications with a targeted GVM range of 4,500-7,500 kg.
As for the battery, the N Series is equipped with individual 20kWh modules. Australia’s leading trucking publication Big Rigs, reported that the automaker has plans to market 3-5 battery pack options with a 60-100kWh capacity.
The automaker apparently expects an estimated range of approximately 150-100 km, depending on the target application.
The N Series also has a central electric motor that generates 370Nm of torque. It also supports two configurations, including eco- and a full power boost mode.
Apart from that, it also offers a 100% adjustable regenerative braking package (up to 12 stages), reducing the need to use the brake pedal while increasing battery charge.
In addition, there will also be several charging options for the N Series EV, including AC single-phase, AC three-phase, and DC rapid charging. Meanwhile, targeting local customer demands will entail offering CCS2 DC fast charging capabilities in Australia.
“We’ve been fortunate to have held the position of Australian truck market leader for 34 years in a row. We’ve been able to do this by providing fit-for-purpose road transport tools and solutions, sold, serviced, and supported by the industry’s best. We’ll be tailoring the Australian version of this platform to initially target last mile delivery, local government operations, in back to base usage with a target range of 150 to 200 kilometres.
Isuzu Australia will be undertaking customer pilots with last mile logistics and local council fleets, commencing in the last quarter of this year.”
IAL Chief of Strategy Grant Cooper
See Also:
- Ford plans to produce its next-gen electric truck at the $5.6B factory in 2025
- Gigantic 66-tonne electric truck released for Norway trial run
- Lordstown is developing new EV plans after selling three electric trucks in 2022
- Nissan becomes one of the first automakers to test heavy-duty all-electric trucks for deliveries
- Volvo dominates the thriving electric truck industry with over 4,300 units sold to date
The first batch of Isuzu N Series EVs is reportedly expected to officially hit the market in late 2023 or early 2023.
You can watch the N Series EV Australian debut below:
