Australia gives up diesel trucks to use electric Hilux in mining companies
Australia will have a fleet of thousands of electric Toyota Hilux to be used in mining, giving up the turbo diesel engine. The project could happen thanks to the joint work between SEA Electric — specialist in this type of conversion — and MEVCO, which provides fleet services to one of the world's leading mining countries.
SEA Electric has stated that the trucks will be fully functional, and will take all the bumps that are needed for a vehicle used in mining. In all, 8.500 electric Toyotas will be produced, with the Hilux making up most of them and the Land Cruiser complementing them.
Amazing numbers of the new Toyota Hilux
The trucks will have a medium voltage system, which does not require active thermal management of the batteries, thus reducing costs and facilitating maintenance. In addition, there will be both 4×2 and 4×4 Hilux options, with two different battery sizes.
The largest battery has 60 kWh, with a range of 260 km, according to estimates. In the 80 kWh version, the range is 380 km, and both can be charged in direct current; enough to take the charge from zero to 80% in less than an hour. To top it off, the power cells have a five-year warranty.
According to Toyota, the electric motor of the vehicle is front and will have 182 hp. The big advantage is the 71,4 kgfm of torque, which allows for a great improvement in the operation in challenging terrains. Thus, the electric Hilux becomes the right car for use in mining companies.
Can the electric Toyota Hilux be used in Brazilian mining companies?
Increasingly, combustion cars have been converted into electric models, with the preservation of the style and the alteration of the means of propulsion. These changes in the automobile sector present commercial advantages, which will be exploited by mining companies in Australia.
As Australia is always close to Brazil in the list of the largest mining companies in the world, success on the other side of the Southern Hemisphere can certainly stimulate similar changes here.
