The new unit in the ground support line was designed to boost safety and productivity for scaling operations. It is available with the option of battery-electric propulsion.

The entire MacLean EV series of zero-emissions mobile mining equipment features on-board charging that can plug into a mine's existing electrical infrastructure. It also comes with liquid-cooled and data-rich battery technology.

To date, MacLean confirmed, its EV equipment working underground had logged more than 40,000 operating hours, and the RB3 would add to that success.

"Since the launch of our fleet electrification programme at MINExpo in 2016 [in Las Vegas], MacLean has focused its EV product development efforts within the mining vehicle categories that we built a global reputation in for safety, durability and productivity going back to the 1970s," MacLean president Kevin MacLean said.

"Battery-electric vehicles are the next chapter in our almost half-century focus on production support mining equipment solutions for the global hard-rock industry."