Industrial Fabrication Inc.’s new battery-powered electric vehicle that bolsters the business case for deep underground mining, while creating a cleaner and healthier environment for miners, will hit the market in 2018. With support from the industry-led Ultra-Deep Mining Network, the Sudbury, Ontario manufacturer partnered with FVT Research Inc. of Pitt Meadows, BC to develop a new electric motor that can replace existing diesel engines in heavy-duty utility vehicles. This world first significantly reduces ventilation costs—which account for 30-50% of a deep mine’s (over 2.5 km) operating expenses—as well as fuel and maintenance costs.