Companies are adding electric vehicles underground to cut carbon emissions, boost productivity & cut costs.
Upgrading to all electric mine fleets-both above & underground-is increasingly operationally viable and comes with some big advantages.
Despite a high upfront spend, electric mobility can quickly provide a return on investment. Operating expenses and service needs are less for electric vehicles than with traditional diesel fleet.
The difference between diesel & electric productivity is also narrowing. Electric vehicles are not typically associated with heavy-duty work, yet the technology is now there for them to not just equal the productivity of diesels machines.
Electric vehicles are able to travel faster underground thanks to increased torque and handling, while emitting less heat, with minimal risk of the engine overheating.
Underground air quality is the other benefit. With zero-emissions they eliminate any of the harmful gases and particulates that come from diesel engines such as nitrogen oxide that can have long term medical impacts.
A number of companies are now producing electric vehicles for the resources sector. One of them is Normet whose SmartDrive system has been designed to cover an entire vehicle fleet-from mine cars to heavy-duty concrete transmixers-and comes with fast charging technology.
Safescape is another. Using a corrosion resistant chassis and world-class battery technology, Safescape’s Bortana EV is a mine-ready underground electric vehicle with innovative safety and connectivity features.
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