WA mining business partners with Siemens

Murray Engineering has partnered with national company Siemens to provide electric vehicle charging stations for mining operations.

Murray Engineering, based in Pinjarra, supplies mechanical and electrical products to mining and other industries, and has more than 400 employees.

It has collaborated with Victoria-headquartered Siemens to develop a high-powered EV charging station for use at both underground and above-ground mines.

The stations will power a new light electric vehicle (eLV), being designed and built by Murray.

The first eLV will be ready for testing by the end of the year and could be deployed at mine sites by as early as mid-next year.

Murray Innovation and Technology manager Max Ong said existing battery and charging solutions had in the past fallen short of miners’ expectations.

“Many existing electric vehicles designed for mining are matched to their own specific charging station, making the solution inefficient and expensive in the long run,” he said.

“The solution we are working on will be vehicle agnostic and has the potential to be scaled up as required.”

Siemens will provide its Sicharge UC high power DC chargers, which have an output range from 125 kilowatts to 600kW, along with five frontends on each station and pantograph charging.

Chief executive Jeff Connolly said the eLV stations and chargers would be safe, cost-effective and sustainable.

“The partnership with Murray Engineering helps address a future need by trialling something that has never been done in one of Australia’s most critical industries," he said.