Murray Engineering plans to test a new light electric vehicle (eLV) that is powered by Siemens’ agnostic charging stations by the end of the year through its parent company Brynecut Group.

The company says the eLV is designed to handle the toughest underground mining conditions in Australia and is anticipated to be ready for application at mine sites by mid-2021.

The development comes as the mining industry is looking at electric vehicles to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and protect workers’ health through cutting exposure to diesel fumes.

“Existing battery and charging solutions have fallen short of miners’ expectations where it matters most,” Murray Engineering innovation and technology manager Max Ong said.

“… Many existing electric vehicles designed for mining are matched to their own specific charging station, making the solution inefficient and expensive in the long run.

“The solution we are working on will be vehicle agnostic and has the potential to be scaled up as required.”

Siemens will provide its Sicharge UC high power DC chargers which provide a flexible output range from 125-600 kilowatt, with five frontends on each station as well as pantograph charging.

Siemens Sicharge UC200 can deliver 200 kilowatt and is already onsite at Murray Engineering headquarters in Pinjarra, Western Australia.

Siemens Australia Pacific chief executive Jeff Connolly said the company had been implementing technologies since 1872 to help Australian industry progress.

“The partnership with Murray Engineering helps address a future need by trialling something that has never been done in one of Australia’s most critical industries,” he concluded.