Isuzu is excited to announce the development of all-new, zero-emission Isuzu class 6 & 7 F series trucks utilizing an Accelera by Cummins battery-electric powertrain for both the US and Canada. They’re so excited, in fact, that they’re announcing it two years ahead of time!

I don’t want to be too hard on Isuzu here. They have a long history of building bulletproof diesel engines and solid, dependable trucks that are so easy to drive that even novices can confidently wheel the (relatively) compact cabovers around tight urban cityscapes. Besides, it will basically look like a 2024 F series, above, but be electric.

That said, “Pictures of the truck will come at a later date. Any questions, please let me know,” makes it tough to share in Isuzu’s excitement. The official press release is short on specs, too, so while we know that the upcoming electric F series will be bowered by Accelera’s “next generation” lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, we don’t have any information about battery size, power, or expected range.

We do, however, have quotes – and I’ve included both of them for you. First this one …

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. 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.

Shaun Skinner; Executive Officer, Isuzu Motors Limited

… and then this one ….

Partnership and collaboration is critical to supporting customers through the energy transition. Together with Isuzu, and our joint commitment to innovation, we will provide customers with safe, reliable zero-emissions solutions.

Amy Davis; President, Accelera by Cummins

… once that “later date” rolls around and we get some pictures and specs, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, Isuzu says it plans to have the new electric version of its F series truck available for customers by 2026. No pricing was given in the press release.

Elektrek’s Jo’s Take

2026, you might notice, is still two years away. I would think that’s more than enough time to put together some specs and a rendering or two.

At the very least, however, it seems like someone at Isuzu is getting on board with medium-duty EVs – and the collaboration with Cummins (once considered an arch-rival level competitor to the “Duramax” branded Isuzu diesels that appeared in GM’s pickups throughout the late 90s and early 00s) seems to imply that the company is open to exploring new ways to stay relevant in the rapidly changing commercial truck space. All of that feels like extremely positive news, but that’s just my opinion, what’s yours?

Scroll on down to the comments and let us know whether you think the Cummins/Isuzu collaboration is newsworthy on its own, or if we really could have held out for some more information.

SOURCE: ISUZU.

UPDATE: per an email received at 9:26AM CST 14MAY2024, I can expect to receive pictures of the truck, “later this year.” (Really.)

According to credit card data, only about 2% of the Tesla owners who used Full Self-Driving in the free month trial ended up buying it after.

Starting in March, Tesla offered a month of free trial of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package to all its owners in North America.

At the same time, the automaker slashed the cost of the package from $12,000 to $8,000 or $99 per month for the subscription model. Interestingly, that goes against what Elon Musk said. The CEO previously said that Tesla would keep increasing the price of the FSD package as it gets better.

Yet, Tesla slashed the price just as it released the new v12 version of the system, which is a significant step forward.

The automaker tried to increase the take rate of FSD with the new version by making more people try it with the free trial, and then tempting them to buy or subscribe to it with the price reduction.

However, some data indicates that Tesla wasn’t really successful with the strategy.

YipitData accessed credit card data from about 3,500 Tesla owners who participated in the trial and found that only 50 bought or subscribed to FSD after the trial (via moomoo):

According to YipitData’s latest figures, nearly 3,500 Tesla owners trialed the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) service over the past month. However, only about 50 of these trials converted into FSD subscriptions or purchases, translating to a conversion rate of just under 2% as of May 5th. The data reveals a cautious approach among Tesla drivers towards paying for subscriptions to its autonomous driving technology.

In order to improve the take rate, Elon Musk also asked Tesla employees who deliver cars to give a FSD demonstration with every delivery.

Electrek’s Take

3,500 owners is a limited dataset, but it’s the best we have right now and to be honest, 2% sounds about right to me.

Despite the recent price cut, it’s still a very expensive product and the value is not clear to most people.

As I previously stated, I’ve been impressed by v12, but it doesn’t necessarily make it useful. v12 limits the speed in many areas and still makes mistakes. I think that it has value on the highway by reducing your workload and allowing you to focus more on the road, but on city streets, it is more stressful than driving without it.

Therefore, I think most people see themselves better off with Autopilot for now.

Tesla still has some work to do prove itself with FSD and increase that take-rate.

One week after reporting plans for a press event launching its new joint venture, Stellantis and Leapmotor have officially begun the new business venture together. The new JV, named “Leapmotor International,” will expand to sell Chinese EVs in Europe this fall, with additional markets to follow.

Today’s event is merely a confirmation of a launch we’ve been expecting for quite some time. Last fall, European automotive conglomerate Stellantis ($STLA) took a $1.6 billion stake in Chinese OEM Leapmotor.

In addition to gaining a 20% stake in Leapmotor, Stellantis’ investment also included forming a new joint venture in which Stellantis owns a 51% stake to sell the Chinese brand’s EVs in other markets. Europe had immediately been confirmed in the JV plans, but Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares wouldn’t rule out the US as another possible option.

This past March, the new partners announced their joint venture had been approved after Stellantis gained regulatory approval in China to continue its stake.

Last week, we followed reports that CEOs from both Leapmotor and Stellantis were preparing a press event to officially launch the Leapmotor International joint venture and divulge more specific plans for where the latter will sell the former’s Chinese-made EVs around Europe. We now have our answer.

Per a release from Stellantis today, Leapmotor International is officially open for business following a press conference in China attended by Carlos Tavares and Jiangming Zhu, the respective CEOs. The companies shared intentions to scale quickly to bolster the value of each brand internationally.

The joint venture is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and led by former Stellantis China executive Tianshu Xin as CEO. Carlos Tavares shared his thoughts on the joint venture and the potential Chinese EVs from Leapmotor hold in markets throughout Europe:

The creation of Leapmotor International is a great step forward in helping address the urgent global warming issue with state-of-the-art BEV models that will compete with existing Chinese brands in key markets around the world. Leveraging our existing global presence, we will soon be able to offer our customers price competitive and tech-centric electric vehicles that will exceed their expectations. Under Tianshu Xin’s leadership, they have built a compelling worldwide commercial and industrial strategy to quickly ramp-up the sales distribution channels to support Leapmotor’s robust growth and create value for both partners.

The joint venture is already laying the groundwork in Europe to bring Leapmotor’s Chinese EVs to new markets, starting with the family-friendly C10 and the T03 compact urban commuter (both pictured above).

Stellantis said it will wield its existing sales channels in Europe to launch and distribute the Chinese EVs as early as September 2024, targeting these markets first: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Romania. Stellantis expects to have at least 200 points of sale throughout these markets by year’s end and over 500 by 2026.

In addition to Europe, Stellantis shared plans also to begin selling Leapmotor’s Chinese EVs in other regions before the end of the year as well:

• The Middle East & Africa
  • Turkey, Israel ,and French Overseas
• India & Asia Pacific
  • Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, and India
• South America
  • Brazil and Chile