Military-grade dual-cab 4x4 ute for Oz

General Motors may have killed off its Hummer brand in 2010, but its spirit lives on in a range of hard-core Brazilian-built off-road 4x4 utes to be launched in Australia this week.

Bendigo-based mining industry supplier Safescape will this Friday launch the Agrale Marruá ute in single-cab, dual-cab and Australian-developed EV forms, following its debut at the Austmine Conference at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre over May 21-23.

Aimed primarily at the mining industry, the military-grade Agrale Marruá AM200 is Australian Design Rule compliant, road-legal and will become available to private customers, although for now the homegrown electric version dubbed Bortana EV is not.

The Agrale Marruá is a heavy-duty, diesel powered Brazilian utility vehicle new to the Australian market. Traditionally used by the Brazilian armed forces and in the mining, forestry agriculture and firefighting industries, the Marruá is a robust, low-maintenance, corrosion resistant vehicle.

Including the all-new electric version called the Bortana EV -- designed specifically for the mining industry by Safescape in collaboration with 3ME Technology and the METS Ignited Project industry-led Australian government initiative -- Safescape says the vehicle will transform utility vehicle duty in the mining industry.

According to Safescape, the Australian hard rock underground mining industry consumes about 800 utilities annually and the average monthly cost of ownership of the vehicles is around $10,000.

That’s because many of these vehicles only last for three years in the corrosive underground environment -- and as little as a year when working in the tougher roles of Nipper and Charge utilities – and because a typical mining ute consumes components faster than in other industries and is serviced twice a month.

Safescape says it identified and secured the Australian distribution rights to a heavy-duty ute that offers the industry cost and longevity benefits, resulting operational savings increased productivity.

The Agrale Marruá AM200 Cabine Dupla (double cab) rides on a 3350mm wheelbase and measures a big 5264mm long, 2160mm wide including mirrors and 1970mm high.

The rear tray is 2085mm long (cab/chassis versions), ground clearance is a generous 340mm, tare mass 3100kg, gross vehicle mass 4300kg, payload 1390kg and towing capacity 3500kg.

Power comes from a Euro 5 emissions-compliant Cummins ISF 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 110kW of power at 3200rpm and 360Nm of torque over 1800-2700rpm, matched with a five-speed manual transmission with two-speed transfer case.

The 4x4 runs rigid Dana front and rear axles, a rear differential lock, front disc and rear drum brakes, and 7.0x16-inch wheels with 265/75 front and 285/75 rear tyres.

Standard features include air-conditioning, running boards, light protectors, skid plate, trip computer, cruise control and anti-lock brakes, but there are no airbags or stability control.

Other vital statistics include a 58-degree approach angle, 30-degree departure angle, 16.7m turning circle, 100-litre fuel tank and an 800mm wading depth without optional snorkel.

Other options include power windows and mirrors, central locking, parking sensors and, at least in Brazil, a bullbar, foglights, winch, reversing camera, navigation and tow kit.

The current Agrale Marruá was launched in Brazil in 2015, replacing the 2004 original. Formed in 1962, Agrale began by making tractors, buses, commercial vehicles and, between 1984 and 1987, Cagiva-based motorcycles. It has produced almost a million vehicles and now has 12,500 employees globally, a global distribution network including 31 countries and a growing export base.

“In regards to the availability of the Agrale Marruá while we are focused on application and marketing for the mining industry, we expect that we will also have opportunity for sales to individuals and other industry groups,” Safescape spokesperson Elke Holmberg told carsales.com.au.

Safescape said it selected the Agrale Marruá as the basis of the Bortana EV because of its robustness and operational cost savings.

“Safescape has identified the opportunity to develop a mine-ready underground electric light vehicle for the Australian mining industry,” said the company.

“It is apparent to us that the benefits of battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology such as low maintenance cost, high up time, zero emissions, low heat generation and safer operational controls make this technology highly desirable for mining companies and particularly for underground mines.

“A lot of the maintenance cost and up time benefit comes from the fact that EV system components are in a large part solid state, there aren’t many wear parts and even less moving parts. They are relatively easy to protect from the often challenging aspects of the underground environment such as dust, acidic and saline water and rough terrain.

“These benefits result in a drivetrain that will last longer than we would normally expect a vehicle to last in the underground environment. Because the advanced batteries themselves represent the largest part of the investment in a battery electric vehicle it is important that the vehicle itself also survives longer in the environment.

“We selected the Agrale Marruá as the base vehicle for this project because it is a much heavier duty vehicle than other vehicles available in Australia. The build quality is excellent, it has a high payload capacity and its inherent corrosion resistance is unparalleled.”

Made in Australia by 3ME Technology, the Bortana EV’s lithium-ion battery pack and other EV-specific components are purpose designed for mining, maintenance-free, energy-dense and able to support rapid charging and achieve impressive energy density.

“We believe these batteries are the safest lithium-ion batteries in the market and we will explain why this is our belief and how we have been able to achieve this prior to delivery of the Beta-phase vehicles in 2019,” said Safescape.

Testing and underground trials of a prototype Bortana EV began last summer and the Beta-phase for the project involves delivery of 10-20 vehicles to mining operations across Australia this year.

“These vehicles will be provided under a full-service leasing package at a rate commensurate with the total cost of ownership of a common underground light vehicle.”

Established in Victoria in 2010 before it opened a manufacturing plant in Perth in 2011, Safescape has sold more than 28,000m of its Laddertube escapeway to mine sitees worldwide. It also manufactures Multi-Bund and Edge Protector products and has an office in Denver, Colorado (USA).

Safescape will announce full specifications and pricing for the Agrale Marruá ute later this week and says it will offer a 12-month limited warranty on parts for underground vehicles.