Ampcontrol has taken home the Innovation Award 2024 at the Mine Electrical Safety Conference (MESC) awards for its Driftex electric vehicle.
Driftex is the world’s first IECEx Group I certified EV, and uses an ‘intrinsically safe’ traction battery. The EV was designed and developed in response to the growing industry demand for low emissions technology.
Manager of Electro-Motion Safety, Steve Burgess, who accepted the award, says being recognised for the technical benefits of Driftex further confirms Ampcontrol’s ability to support companies in meeting their decarbonisation goals.
“The beauty of Driftex is the technology behind it can be leveraged to satisfy other similar demands of industry to aid in mine site electrification,” he says.
Driftex incorporates a 60 kilowatt per hour battery management system, with a long cycle life of 20,000 to 30,000 cycles. This allows for 10 years of operation with 80% battery life remaining.
The MESC focuses on the new era of mine electric safety and is attended by mining industry professionals from Australia.
As of 7 December 7, Driftex has been touted as the world’s first IECEx Group I certified EV, using an intrinsically safe traction battery.
Ampcontrol has sought to design a solution to eliminate diesel emissions in underground applications, supporting fewer ventilation requirements and reducing noise. Through a collaboration with Solitech, The University of Newcastle, and ResTech, a design for a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) was created, addressing the need for greener, intrinsically safe mine site applications.
Offered as an overhaul to existing diesel assets, Driftex is a battery electric personnel carrier vehicle that integrates to any standard EV charger and does not require proprietary charge equipment. It is engineered for fast-charging and charges from flat to full in 40 minutes with a 75kW charger.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Ampcontrol
