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3ME Technology appoints new Chair ahead of next phase of battery system commercialisation

Posted on 5 Aug 2022

3ME Technology has appointed mining industry veteran and Austmine Chair, Dr Dallas Wilkinson, as its new Chair of the Board, as the battery system provider prepares for its next phase of commercialisation.

Wilkinson, who has taken on the role as of July 2022, succeeds Richard Eveleigh, who has now transitioned to Non-Executive Director after serving as Chair for the past five years.

Wilkinson said: “I am humbled and honoured to be appointed to this role at an exciting time in 3ME Technology’s development. I am impressed with the progress 3ME Technology has made in electrifying heavy vehicles which will make a pronounced impact on the quest to decarbonise and address the growing demand for alternate energy sources. I am looking forward to working with the Board and the talented team to continue to grow through offering their innovative, world-class solutions for battery-powered heavy vehicles.”

3ME Technology was recently named as a winner of the 2022 Charge on Innovation Challenge, with the company expected to provide the challenge with a purpose-refined version of its Bladevolt® battery system to fit the requirements of haul truck operations. The haul truck-specific Bladevolt XL system will, 3ME says, be scalable to fit varied truck sizes, composed of the optimum chemistry, cost-effective and compliant with the proposed charging infrastructure, as well as enabled to capture and analyse critical data that will help improve operations going forward.

Last year, it completed a A$20 million ($13.9 million) capital raise with the CEFC and the Australian Business Growth Fund that allowed the company to scale-up production of its modular and scalable battery systems.

And, earlier in 2021, it confirmed a circa-A$140 million deal had been agreed with Batt Mobile Equipment (BME) to supply BME with upwards of 150 electric vehicle engine packages over five years to power BME’s 20 t Integrated Tool Carrier battery-electric vehicle retrofits.

Wilkinson’s extensive international mining services career spans activities across the value chain of the mining services life cycle from research and development to manufacturing and operations to technology commercialisation and intellectual property protection. His particular knowledge of risk and safety, coupled with a “people and customer centricity” approach, will further support the growth of 3ME Technology’s pioneering battery technology, 3ME says.

Prior to his appointment as Chair of 3ME Technology, Wilkinson was the Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific for a global IP company, Dennemeyer, as well as global and regional leadership roles focused on ground support, mining chemicals and explosives.

Wilkinson went on to say: “The battery electrification of off-highway vehicles that operate in tough conditions is ground-breaking. Industries such as mining, military and construction maintain very high safety standards. Our primary focus when supporting the rollout of 3ME Technology’s innovative Bladevolt battery systems will be to assist those embracing new technology in understanding 3ME Technology’s capabilities and the significant value these systems provide in the energy transition journey.”