US-based Artisan Vehicles has announced its newest underground battery electric vehicle, the 10 t A10 LHD.

The company made the announcement at the Mining & Exploration International Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, US, last night.

This is the company’s third battery-electric underground vehicle for mining, adding to its A4 (4 t) battery-electric LHD and Z40 (40 t) haul truck. The Z40 is to be used at Kirkland Lake Gold’s Macassa underground gold mine in Ontario, Canada, while the A4 is being used at the mining company’s Taylor operation, also in Ontario.

Artisan sees the implementation of battery-electric vehicles as having a significant reduction in ventilation, heat and overall operating cost resulting in a positive impact of the mine’s bottom line.

“Powered by lithium batteries and an extremely power dense electric motor system, the A10 is the same size as its 7 t competitors and is the only battery-electric LHD of its size capable of carrying 10 t,” Artisan said.

The A10’s two electric motors generate 540 kW of power and 4,100 Nm of torque, while the pattented battery system uses lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry.

“Our power is not constrained by ventilation limitations and therefore we use the most powerful electric motors available, which directly improves productivity,” the company said.

The machine also benefits from a spring applied hydraulic release (SAHR) brake system with electric regeneration. This allows for the battery to recharge during the braking process by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

“In the right environment, a battery electric vehicle could potentially operate for an entire shift on a single charge,” Artisan said, explaining that this directly translates to added production and increased revenue for the mine.

The A10 also has a self-loading battery swapping system without the need for a hoist or crane, which, again, boosts productivity.

“Operators prefer the A10 for its powerful and productive mucking capability as well as its cool, quiet performance with zero poisonous diesel fumes,” Artisan said.