A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed to supply electric utility vehicles to the Australian mining sector, which experts say could encourage broader uptake of electric utes across the country.
Key points:
- An MOU has been signed between SEA Electric and MEVCO to convert 8,500 utes to electric
- The vehicles will be supplied to Australia’s resources sector
- A sustainability expert says the transition to EVs in the mining industry will encourage broader uptake across the country
The billion-dollar agreement between SEA Electric and Mining Electric Vehicle Company (MEVCO) will see SEA Electric source a range of Toyota’s HiLux and LandCruiser utes, and convert them to electric using the company’s registered SEA-Drive power system.
MEVCO has committed to ordering 8,500 vehicles over five years, which it would supply to Australian resources companies.
President of Asia Pacific for SEA Electric, Bill Gillespie, said demand for electric utes in Australia’s infrastructure and mining sectors was “huge” and had recently “ramped up”.
“In the past 12 months it’s gone from almost nothing to companies saying, ‘Look, if you can make an electric HiLux or an electric ute of any type, we will order at scale because we need to do it straight away’,” he said.
SEA Electric will convert the vehicles at its facility in Dandenong, Victoria, and is looking to expand manufacturing into New South Wales and other mining-focused states.
