TRUCK & TECH
Kovatera KT 200e.
BLUE SKY
MINING In the extremely harsh conditions of underground mining operations, Kovatera stands head and shoulders above anything else. Equipped with Dana TM4 electric drivetrain components, the Kovatera BEV range does its thing while burning no midnight oil whatsoever.
D
rivetrain Australia, the local distributor for Canadianmanufactured Kovatera underground mining service vehicles, will receive its first Kovatera, the battery-electric version of the diesel-powered KT 200, in Australia this year. Drivetrain believes the industry is not yet satisfied with the battery-electric vehicle offering available on the local market and there is an opportunity to trial the high quality Canadian-built machines in Australian conditions. “The KT Bev range of vehicles are fit-
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for-purpose underground hard-rockmining-ready vehicle vastly superior to the electrified on-highway vehicles available locally to the customer,” says Mark Griffith – General Manager Sales & Business Development at Drivetrain Australia. The vehicles will come to Australia standard with up to 88kWh battery and a range of between 50-90 kilometres between charges, depending on operating conditions. “The Cummins diesel powered Kovatera KT 200 already has a well-established presence in the market, and we expect the electric powered range to build a
strong following also,” Mark says. Unlike other vehicles in the segment that are essentially modified versions of 4x4 cab/chassis utes, the Kovatera KT 200 is purpose-designed and built from the ground up for underground mining applications. “They have an industrial strength driveline which includes enclosed wet brake agricultural-style axles and a power-shift torque converter transmission coupled to the Cummins engine,” Mark says. The other big difference, Mark explains, is the chassis and body panels with the
