IMPCO Automotive selected to provide CNG conversions in new Isuzu ship-through process

IMPCO Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc., announced that Isuzu commercial vehicle dealers can now select IMPCO as a ship-through option more quickly to convert or to modify gasoline-powered NPR-HD (14,500-lb. GVWR) trucks to CNG operation.
As part of the ship-through process, Isuzu trucks built at the Charlotte, Michigan plant will be transported to IMPCO’s OEM Automotive conversion facility in Union City, Indiana for CNG system installation. Upon completion, vehicles will be returned to ICTA for North American distribution. This program will simplify the vehicle modification process for dealers and fleet managers.
Isuzu’s new ship-through program will enable Isuzu customers to have IMPCO’s high-quality, CNG system installed on the popular Isuzu NPR HD chassis near the vehicle’s assembly plant as a ship-through option ordered from any Isuzu dealership nationwide. This chassis is used in a variety of applications, from box trucks to landscaper bodies; the ship-through program will provide those fleets with the option of using a domestic fuel with minimum delay and complexity to their daily operations.

—Jay Sandler, IMPCO Automotive Director of Sales

SIM-Drive EV has range of 333 km (207 miles) on JC08

SIM-Drive Corp., a spin-off from Keio University, unveiled electric vehicle capable of traveling 333 km (207 miles) on a fully charged battery on the JC08 cycle.

In January 2010, SIM-Drive announced that 34 companies and municipalities, including automakers Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd., were forming a consortium to develop a new electric car prototype, with mass-market sales being the end goal.

The SIM-LEI has in-wheel motors and can seat up to four. It runs on lithium ion batteries made by Toshiba Corp. that have a capacity of 24.9 kWh, roughly the same as EV batteries on the market. The vehicle can accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 4.8 seconds, a performance equal to that of high-end sports cars, according to SIM-Drive.

The start-up aims to commercialize the vehicle in 2013 through its development partners.

Source: Nikkei