Page 14 - VTE JUNE

Feature | Truck
Isuzu a buzz with new technology at MegaTrans2018
Two locally developed EV concept vehicles were launched to Australia at the MegaTrans2018.
Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) announced the Australian operation has commenced an EV concept development program. What makes this exciting is that it is an Australian initiative independent of the Elf EV project in Japan. The company expects to produce these vehicles in 100s rather than 1000s.
IAL’s Chief Engineer, Product Strategy, Simon Humphries held a product presentation at MegaTrans2018 where he outlined the details of this concept program.
IAL is looking at key urban applications in the 6500 kg – 14000 kg GVM class and each model has a benchmark operating range of between 200 and 250 kilometres.
Australia’s EV is looking at the 8-9 tonne gross vehicle mass NQR and the 12-14 tonne GMW FSR with the NQR having maximum and continuous power of 130kW and 100kW respectively, while those for the FSR are 250kW and 150kW.
According to Isuzu while electric motors have had a number of false starts since they first appeared in the mid-19th century, the age of the ‘EV’ has well and truly arrived.
The company says some of the major obstacles to EV development, namely battery storage capacity, distance, demand, regulatory settings and cost, have all largely been overcome.
Isuzu’s EVs will have 132KWh nickel,
manganese, cobalt oxide lithium-ion battery packs that power direct drive permanent magnet motors rated to 98 percent efficiency. These will be sourced from Canada and China,
and will require a six-hour recharge time from nearly empty.
The EV concept models have a 22kW on-board charging unit so they can be recharged via a standard industrial three-phase power outlet.
The 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 from 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 percent per annum on average.
Consulting firm McKinsey suggest the ‘e-Truck’ market share will reach 15 percent overall by 2030, while light-duty truck sales could climb as high as 25-35 percent in China and across the European market.
14 | June 2018