Isuzu showcases hybrid truck at KLIMS ’10
Although Honda, Toyota, and to a certain extent, Porsche, has been hogging the limelight of hybrid powertrain development, Isuzu has been quietly making strides on that front. At the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2010 (KLIMS ’10) in the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), the company will showcase its advancements in this area by displaying a diesel-hybrid version of the N-Series truck, commercially available in Japan already.
As Isuzu vehicles usually cater for commercial applications, the focus of its hybrid powertrains would first and foremost be on durability and reliability. The Isuzu N-Series hybrid utilizes lithium-ion batteries, which offer virtues such as compact sizing, high output and long service life. The compact size of these batteries also gives Isuzu advantages in packaging, and the N-Series hybrid does not suffer penalties in terms of payload and ground clearance.
Isuzu’s hybrid setup is also simpler than most, as its start-stop function is only activated when the driver shifts the transmission to ‘Neutral’. The engine restarts when the driver selects ‘Drive’.
As usual, on-board computers manages the hybrid drivetrain system. The electric motor boosts the diesel engine’s power on start-up to improve take-off acceleration and disengages on cruising speed to reduce drag on the engine. On deceleration, the engine is disengaged to allow the motor to recover excessive kinetic energy. However, the driver can re-engage the engine to summon engine braking by downshifting the gears.
Other displays in Isuzu’s booth at KLIMS ’10 is the Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck in various guises – a racer in the Dakar Rally, a standard production variant, and also one dressed-up in heavy levels of bling. Isuzu’s booth is situated at Booth 1D06, Hall 1.
