This Toyota Land Cruiser is totally electric and will work in Aussie mines
No, you can't buy it, but it will serve as a zero-emissions workhorse for our Australian friends.
We've seen our fair share of classic cars converted to run on batteries with electric motors, but Toyota did something a little different. On Friday, Toyota Australia revealed a Land Cruiser 70 equipped with an electric powertrain for a small-scale operations test locally. The company wants to see how well the rugged SUV does in Australian mines without an internal-combustion engine.
This Land Cruiser isn't the same one you can purchase at a Toyota dealership in the US. The "70" dates back to 1984, and the Japanese automaker still sells it in some countries, including Australia. For this test, it decided to remove the diesel powertrain and toss in some modern-day tech. The underground mining operation will take place specifically at BHP Nickel West mine in Western Australia where the automaker plans to study the viability of these vehicles to reduce local emissions.
Unfortunately, the automaker didn't provide any specifics on how it converted the Land Cruiser or what kind of powertrain specifically resides under the metal. But, more details will come in the next few months as the trial gets under way.
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