Local Toyota LandCruiser EV trial
BHP to trial zero-emissions LandCruiser 70 Series produced by Toyota's local R&D unitToyota Australia’s product planning and development division has converted a Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series into an electric vehicle and will trial the zero-emissions workhorse ute with mining giant BHP.
The market-leading Japanese brand still has no plans to introduce an EV to showrooms for Australians to purchase for at least the next few years, relying instead on its conventional hybrids which are booming.
Up until now, the car-maker has also stood by as other local independent companies such as Adelaide-based Voltra have in recent years taken the Toyota LandCruiser and replaced the stonking 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 with a full-electric powertrain, running comparable trials with BHP.
Details of Toyota Australia’s conversion remain under wraps, with the company simply announcing today that it would run a small-scale pilot trial with BHP using a 70 Series single-cab ute that was converted to full-electric power at its Port Melbourne-based R&D unit.
This is the same division that is also responsible for developing the flagship Toyota HiLux Rogue and Rugged X, and which should also be involved in the ongoing discussions around bringing the much-anticipated Toyota Tundra full-size pick-up to market in Australia.
The trial will run at BHP’s Nickel West mine in Western Australia.
“BHP and Toyota have demonstrated a strong relationship throughout the last 20 years, and this project is a great testament to how we can both work together as leading companies in our respective industries to change the future,” said Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor.
The president of Minerals Australia at BHP, Edgar Basto, described the partnership as “another step in our ongoing studies into how we can reduce the emissions intensity of our light vehicle fleet”.
“Reducing our reliance on diesel at our operations will help achieve our medium-term target of reducing operational emissions by 30 per cent by 2030,” he said.
The Voltra-converted 70 Series was trialled at BHP’s Olympic Dam mine site over a 12-month period, with two prototype vehicles in operation that were assessed in terms of performance, power supply, maintenance requirements, charging times and corrosion resistance.
Dubbed the eCruiser, the ute was fitted with 104kW/256Nm electric motor, custom gearbox and 42.24kWh lithium-ion battery pack that could be replenished in around 40 minutes when using a 50kW DC fast-charger.
It was built to full Australian Design Rule compliance and still operated as a fully-fledged 4x4 ute, but brought a number of important benefits.
These included zero tailpipe emissions, which is especially important working in an underground environment where diesel particulate matter is a major health hazard, and reduced maintenance due to fewer moving/wearing powertrain parts and less stress on the driveline.
Other cited benefits are lower servicing costs, with no oil changes, air/oil/fuel filter replacement etc, obvious savings on diesel consumption (and storage), and user-friendly operation with less heat generation and a quieter, smoother and arguably more comfortable drive.
With the results from independent trials in hand, BHP and Toyota Australia appear to have now joined forces to take such a program to the next level.
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