The Australian-first electric car, designed with the mining industry in mind, kicks off production.
Melbourne-based automotive company Tomcar has introduced Australia’s first production electric car, the Tomcar LV1.
Designed and built in Australia, full-scale production of the zero emissions Tomcar LV1 will commence in November 2016 at the Tomcar facility in Melbourne, with customer deliveries commencing February 2017.
The prototype Tomcar LV1 has already undergone two years of intense development, with trials of its electric powertrain currently underway in the harshest environments throughout Australia. Tomcar has teamed with Energetique to develop the Tomcar LV1.
Based in Armidale, NSW, Energetique specialises in the design, development, and integration of high-density energy storage and energy management systems for the automotive, renewable, and power industries.
Energetique’s electric drivetrain and battery technologies have been demonstrated in the 100% electric vehicle, evMe, which was released in November 2008. The Energetique technology platform has also been used to power the light delivery van MAXev.
Tomcar Australia’s co-founder and CEO David Brim said: “We have been working with Energetique on this project for more than a year, keeping it secret while designing the world’s toughest EV to be built right here in Australia. The entire vehicle is being developed here, including the unique proprietary software and the powertrain system design.”
The LV1 is designed principally for the mining industry, with features that meet the duty cycle requirements of the various mining applications in which these vehicles will operate. The design goal of the LV1 was simple – to develop a robust electric vehicle capable of operating reliably in some of the most challenging environments for sustained periods, with little or no maintenance.
With more than 60 per cent Australian-made components, the LV1 meets Australia’s mine safety standards, providing a commercial off-the-shelf mobility solution for mines anywhere in the world.