Isuzu North America Corporation on Monday said it was pursuing the development of an all-new, zero-emission Class 6/7 truck equipped with an Accelera by Cummins powertrain for both the United States and Canada – the first zero-emissions solution facilitated by the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership (ICCP) formed in May 2019. The 2022 F-Series was first product to come to market from the ICCP.
Accelera by Cummins is the red engine maker's zero emissions business segment focused on batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, e-axles, traction systems, integrated powertrain solutions and electrolyzers.
Powered by Accelera’s next generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, Isuzu expects the truck, specs for which have not yet been made public, to be available in 2026.
Under the terms of a 2022 agreement between the two companies, Cummins was tasked with integrating its plug-in hybrid PowerDrive6000 into Isuzu’s F-Series truck.
The all electric Class 6/7 model joins the Class 5 N-Series EV – Isuzu's first all-electric production model – which comes with a full 19,500-pound gross vehicle weight rating, wheelbases ranging from 132.5 to 176 inches to accommodate a variety of body lengths, and an all-new cab design. Four battery capacity options will be available, the largest of which enables a range of up to 235 miles.
"With the start of production of our Isuzu Class 5 N-Series EV coming this summer, and with the future addition of the Isuzu battery electric Class 6/7 truck, we will be able to provide zero emission solutions across our product line-up," said Shaun Skinner, Isuzu Motors Limited executive officer. "This will also improve the breadth of our overall offerings providing customers the ability to choose the product and propulsion system that best fits their needs."
Isuzu takes ownership in driverless startup Gatik
Through this partnership, Isuzu will enter the middle mile autonomous driving business in the low-cab forward segment, where the company has already established a market leadership position in the United States and Canada.
Isuzu on Tuesday said it will invest $30 million in driverless tech Gatik, focusing on the development of middle mile autonomous driving. The partnership will include the design and development of a new chassis (redundant chassis) that ensures safety when equipped with an autonomous driving system with the aim of launching a level 4 autonomous commercial vehicle business in 2027.
Gatik is particularly focused on middle mile business-to-business logistics for large companies, and in 2021 it also successfully completed fully driverless commercial middle mile deliveries. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous driving trucks are currently commercially deployed in Texas, Arkansas and Ontario, Oanada.
