Isuzu Motors Ltd. (Japan) will be releasing a small hybrid truck powered by an electronic motor and a diesel engine as early as 2002. The company is reported to have plans of producing about 1,000 units of the truck by 2004. Isuzu also plans to offer the hybrid technology to General Motors Corp. (Detroit, MI), which owns 49 percent of the truck maker.
The hybrid truck, based on Isuzu's Elf trucks with a loading capacity of about two metric tons each, will emit 20 percent less carbon dioxide than a regular truck. The truck will also emit fewer toxic chemicals such as nitrogen oxides
Isuzu's new hybrid truck will be 20 percent higher than for a regular small truck, which costs about $24,080.
