BHP Group (ASX:BHP) and Toyota Motor (TYO:7203) have deployed two battery-electric HiLux vehicles at the Goonyella Riverside Mine in Queensland.
The vehicles are operating with dedicated direct-current charging infrastructure at the metallurgical coal mine, which forms part of BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).
BHP says the deployment will help the company assess the infrastructure, operating procedures, and workforce capabilities required to introduce battery-electric light vehicles across mine sites.
BMA Asset President Adam Lancey says Goonyella Riverside provides a working environment in which the partners can assess the vehicles.
“It’s well placed to help us understand how our new technology can be introduced safely and effectively in a complex operation,” Lancey says.
The deployment follows a prototype HiLux battery-electric vehicle trial conducted at BHP’s Port Hedland operations in Western Australia from late 2024.
That trial assessed the vehicle across applications traditionally undertaken by diesel-powered light vehicles, with BHP providing operational feedback to Toyota.
BHP identifies electrification as its preferred longer-term pathway for reducing operational emissions from diesel use. However, the company has not disclosed the duration of the Goonyella deployment, its performance targets, or plans for a broader HiLux rollout.
The vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, although their overall emissions will depend partly on the electricity used for charging.
BMA is equally owned by BHP and Mitsubishi Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation (TYO:8058).
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Main image: Toyota Motor
