MacLean Engineering is expanding its line of battery-electric vehicles with the launch of a surface mining division.
The Collingwood-based manufacturer said the decision builds on its reputation as a reliable provider of underground battery electric vehicles for clients in North America, Africa and Australia.
“As a company, we turned 50 in 2023 and in 2025 we are also celebrating our 10-year anniversary of our EV Series. Now we are making another decisive move towards providing EV for the surface mining sector around the globe,” David Jacques, MacLean's vice-president of surface mining vehicles, said in a Feb. 27 news release.
“With a decade of EV experience in the underground mining sector, 100-plus units sold and commissioned, and 500,000-plus operating hours logged, we are well positioned to bring our expertise and learnings around EV equipment to surface mining operations.”
The company has already launched its first product — the GR8 EV surface grader — and announced its first customer — Fortescue — which is aiming to eliminate fossil fuels from its iron ore operations in Western Australia by 2030.
MacLean said it plans to roll out additional machines to help mining companies around the globe in reducing their carbon footprint.
In addition to its Collingwood headquarters, MacLean operates a sales, support and service centre in Sudbury, as well as a research and training facility at its mine in Lively, west of the city.