Electrified Toyota LandCruiser ute joins BHP fleet

Australian mining giant BHP has announced it is trialling an electrified Toyota LandCruiser ute within its South Australian fleet.

The vehicle, which has undergone a full electrification process by Adelaide firm Voltra, does away with the 79 Series LandCruiser’s legendary 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 engine to make use of an electric motor charged by lithium-ion batteries.

It is dubbed the eCruiser, naturally.

In what is believed to be the first such conversion process of the LandCruiser, the prototype helps Voltra beat Tesla’s much-touted electric ute to the punch, joining BHP’s fleet of 240 vehicles this month.

The eCruiser retains its 4x4 capability and features regenerative braking, according to stakeholders. It will work out of BHP’s mammoth Olympic Dam site in South Australia, countering concerns over air quality and the exposure of particulate matter from the current diesel-laden fleet to the operation’s 800 staff.

“While they may look similar to a traditional Land Cruiser or ute, our LEVs are at the heart of our work on low emissions technology,” BHP says.

“Powered by a lithium-ion battery, it will be monitored for performance, power supply, maintenance requirements, charging time and corrosion resistance underground.

“Importantly, as they are battery-powered, our team’s exposure to the diesel particular matter generated by traditional diesel engines is significantly reduced.”

BHP hasn’t outlined costs of the conversion process, however Voltra says that a mining fleet employing renewable energy would reduce total costs by 10 to 20 per cent.

“Olympic Dam’s switch to LEVs in its operations will reduce emissions, exposure and costs – as well as influencing the rollout of similar initiatives in our other locations,” the company says.

BHP is treating the prototype as a trial, with views to add to its fleet later in the year. Should the trial succeed, BHP may look to electrifying its entire fleet.

“This is a really exciting project for BHP that has the potential to significantly reduce our emissions and improve working conditions for our people right across the globe, and we are especially proud that Olympic Dam is at the forefront,” the company said.