Artisan Vehicle Systems Delivers Two Of Its Battery Powered Zero Emission Loaders To Hecla Lucky Friday

Camarillo, CA /PRNewswire/ - Artisan Vehicle Systems (Artisan) is proud to announce the delivery of two battery powered zero emission 1⁵3 loaders to Hecla's Lucky Friday mine in Mullan, Idaho. "I've never operated a machine that's this powerful in the muck pile," said David Konsbruck, head of equipment maintenance at Lucky Friday.  "The ergonomics and visibility are much better than our other loaders."

Hecla is addressing ventilation and cooling issues related to the depth of its Lucky Friday operation.  Diesel equipment exacerbates the problem with its exhaust and extremely hot powertrain.  "Battery equipment lets us continue operations without costly upgrades to our ventilation and cooling infrastructure," said Clayr Alexander, Lucky Friday's Mine Manager. "We are excited about the promise of battery technology to deliver increased performance while reducing emissions and increasing worker safety, and are confident in our choice of Artisan and its new loader." 

Artisan has designed the 1⁵3 around its cutting edge electric powertrain, battery, and advanced operator control system. The 1⁵3 is smaller in all dimensions than a comparable diesel loader, but has 300% of the power.  It loads quicker, hauls up steep grades faster, and is more precise and responsive to operator commands. Operators prefer our battery powered units over diesel because of their higher productivity, more tons moved per shift, zero diesel emissions, extremely low heat, and quiet operation.  Moreover, the total cost of ownership is comparable, and in many cases lower, than diesel.

"We are very excited about working with Hecla.  Our mission is to increase their production and decrease their costs," said Mike Kasaba, CEO of Artisan. "Of course, battery power saves on ventilation and cooling expenses, but we expect much more from our machines. We are determined to beat diesel equipment on every key performance indicator.  Power, productivity, drivability, reliability, and total cost of ownership.  Diesel's days are numbered in underground mines and we are doing everything we can to finish it off."

Based in California, the heart of electric vehicle technology, Artisan Vehicle Systems Inc. is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of zero emission battery powered mining vehicles.  Its core technology is its proprietary battery packs, electric motors, power electronics, software and control systems. Artisan's underground mining machines are designed from the ground up around our high powered, highly reliable, field proven battery electric powertrains.