Dancing in silence with the Isuzu D-Max EV

The engine was too silent— I forgot I was driving a pickup truck.

- PINKY CONCHA COLMENARES

When the man guiding me through the high-speed course at the Isuzu Hokkaido Proving Ground (IHPG) said, “Drive,” I glanced at the dashboard to check if the new Isuzu D-Max EV was even on.

It’s not my first time behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, so I knew what to expect from an EV’s whisper-quiet motor. But silence is not something I’ve ever associated with a pickup truck. Even the modern diesel engines that have mellowed from a roar to a purr still have that familiar grunt. This stillness took a moment to process.

But there was no time for reflection. “Accelerate to 100, take the middle lane in the banking section,” my guide instructed.

I instantly liked this stranger. He didn’t seem to mind letting a woman he’d never met take the wheel of a vehicle yet to be introduced in the Asian market—and through a banked lane built to test speed, stability, and safety.