Electric utes rolling to Australia, mining sites first

Electric utes are being shipped to Australia for use on mining sites after a local firm signed a deal with one of America’s leading vehicle manufacturers.

Mining transport company MEVCO announced a partnership with Rivian Automotive on Monday, revealing the firm would bring its award-winning R1T ute to Australia for the first time.

The vehicle, which has yet to be sold to Australian consumers, comes after several brands announced plans to bring electric utes to Australia, and after the federal government revealed the details of its proposed fuel-efficiency standard that would cut vehicle emissions.

MEVCO chief executive Matt Cahir told AAP the company had struck a deal with Rivian after almost a year of talks and had already offered 45 mining companies test drives in its electric utes.

Mr Cahir said swapping diesel for electric utes would deliver more than environmental and financial savings to mining firms, as the utes were more powerful and offered more advanced features and smoother rides.

“It’s the most exciting time that mining has seen in 30 years,” he said.

“This is the most technically advanced vehicle the mining industry has ever seen and it’s going from ... a vehicle driving down a corrugated road that will loosen your fillings to something that is really state-of-the-art with high performance and high capability.”

Mr Cahir said it would take time for mining companies to fully electrify their vehicle fleets and install the charging infrastructure needed to support the vehicles.

But he said delays to getting electric utes into the country had been holding the transition back and Australian mining firms were calling out for more options.

“This is the only electric ute built from the ground up outside the Tesla Cybertruck,” he said.

“The Tesla Cybertruck is not really fit for the mining industry in terms of design.”

It’s understood the first Rivian R1T utes in Australia will be left-hand drive models but right-hand drive vehicles will be made available in future.

Rivian Automotive strategy vice-president Dagan Mishoulam said the Californian company was eager to play a role in getting more electric vehicles on Australian roads.

“We’re delighted they are electrifying their fleet with us, and we’re excited to help them reduce tailpipe emissions,” he said.

Electric and hybrid utes have been slower to arrive in Australia than SUVs and hatchbacks, though several automakers have confirmed plans to launch the vehicles within the next two years, including Ford, GWM and BYD.

Isuzu has also announced plans to bring a D-Max Electric ute to Australia, and local distributor AusEV has started taking orders for converted versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric ute sold in the US.

The announcements come one month after the federal government revealed the details of its New Vehicle Efficiency Standard that it plans to introduce in January 2025.

The standard would see emission limits placed on vehicle fleets, with a goal of reducing emissions from new light commercial vehicles, like utes, by 50 per cent in 2029.