Thailand: Isuzu begins new battery-swapping trial for electric trucks

Isuzu has launched a new battery-swapping trial for electric trucks in Thailand's logistics sector. It has partnered with two local companies for this initiative: V. Cargo, a comprehensive logistics service provider, and Home Product Center (HomePro), a major retailer of home improvement products and services.

Image: Isuzu

The company is conducting a study on market demand and the infrastructure readiness for electric trucks in Thailand. It is exploring battery-swapping technology for its potential to reduce downtime and improve operational efficiency compared with conventional electric trucks that rely solely on plug-in charging.

Isuzu is using its Elf EV light-duty truck for the new battery-swapping trial in Thailand. The company has imported the trucks from Japan and modified them to transport HomePro’s products from its distribution centre in Wang Noi district, Ayutthaya province, to customers. It has installed a battery-swapping station at V. Cargo’s distribution centre. Depending on the number of batteries replaced, the battery-swapping process takes approximately seven minutes.

The new trial will run until March 2027, and using the findings from this pilot project, Isuzu will assess the commercial feasibility of battery swapping and identify the technology’s potential issues and limitations in operations. This should help it develop new eco-friendly service models that cater to the needs of logistics service providers.

Previously, Isuzu had set up a battery-swapping station at one of its two Thai plants, specifically the one located in Phra Pradaeng district, Samut Prakan province. It used the battery-swappable version of the Elf EV to transport goods from the plant’s parts warehouse to the parts warehouse of its local distributor, Tri Petch Isuzu Sales.

Isuzu is testing the battery-swappable version of the Elf EV in Japan as well. The company has modified it into a garbage collection truck for a pilot project in partnership with the City of Yokohama. In this case, it says the battery-swapping process takes about three minutes.