Even the ‘drill, baby, drill’ guys realize electric is the way to go!
Swedish equipment brand Sandvik announced a new battery electric surface drill rig in a bid to create more efficient, cost-effective drilling operations. And, yes – the irony here is delicious!
In fairness, plenty of drill operations use permanent grid connections (read: wired plugs) t operate their drillers – and there are plenty of reasons to drill that don’t involve oil and gas extraction. That said, it’s got to absolutely kill the “drill, baby, drill” people to see highly efficient electric drill rigs coming to market, and the latest concept Sandvik takes things a step further than its plugged-in cousins by adding a battery.
The Sandvik BEV is the first electric drill rig in its size class, and is capable of boring holes up to 229 mm (9 inches) in diameter. The drill blends the autonomy of plug-free power with the non-stop capabilities of a permanent grid connection.
“With the industry shifting towards intelligent, autonomous and emission-free equipment, surface drill rigs need to be reinvented,” explains Lauri Laihanen, Vice President of R&D, Surface Drilling Division, Sandvik AB Mining and Rock Solutions. “This new concept rig elevates electric surface drilling … (and) the battery means greater freedom and flexibility and more efficient use of time, as the rig can drill immediately while the cable is being set up.”
The Sandvik battery pack provides power for up to one hour of drilling or seven hours of tramming. In practice, Sandvik thinks the battery will be used primarily for tramming and boring individual, targeted holes, while the bulk of the pattern will be carried out on grid power.
It’s all great stuff — but Sandvik isn’t stopping at the addition of a battery pack. They’re also innovating on the grid connection side.
Beyond the battery
At Sandvik’s test mine located 40 km northwest of Tampere, Sandvik is dedicating itself to developing more efficient and more sustainable surface drilling at scale — and part of that development is focused on making that grid connection not just safer, but easier, with a thinner, lighter weight cable.
Sandvik designed (the) cable setup to be as effortless as possible. The (180 m) cable tightens itself automatically according to the direction the rig is moved and is wound on a single layer, which enables a thinner, more manageable tether. An operating voltage as high as 1,000 volts also helps enable a lighter cable.
“Testing of the smaller concept with our construction customers has been very successful and produced valuable feedback,” Laihanen says. “We’ve learned a lot, and now it’s time to apply these learnings to mining, which has its own unique challenges.”
Sandvik will be testing its electric drill rig prototype in real-world surface mining environments in close collaboration with its mining customers.
Electrek’s Take
While there are a lot of people in the equipment and mining space who may scoff at environmental concerns, the quest for improved efficiency and cost reduction among commercial fleet managers knows no ideology. If it’s just as good and cheaper, they’ll buy it. If it’s better and cheaper, they’ll buy two — and battery power is proving to be consistently better, in a broader scope of use cases, than diesel.
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Tesla just released the Model 3 Performance on Tuesday, and already Tesla has hiked the price by $1,000.
The Model 3 Performance came out the morning of Tesla’s quarterly earnings report earlier this week, with lots of updates.
Tesla updated the car’s bodywork, seats, steering, brakes, damping, track mode software, and of course the rear drive unit, giving the car 510hp and a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds.
And, given the fact that it qualifies for the US Federal EV Tax credit, it’s actually cheaper than the lower-spec Long Range Model 3 (which starts at $47,740) after taking the credit into account.
The Model 3 Performance has also garnered rave reviews both from online observers who note its impressive specs and value proposition compared to competing vehicles, and from the few car reviewers who Tesla deigned to allow to review the vehicle ahead of its release.
Perhaps due to the confluence of these factors, Tesla has now decided that its raved-about vehicle might be worth more than it originally decided to sell it for, and has thus raised the price by $1,000.
Now, the Model 3 Performance starts at $53,990, rather than $52,990.
This still makes the performance model ~$1k cheaper to purchase than the Long Range version, assuming you qualify for the tax credit. However, since the tax credit is attainable even on non-qualifying cars via a lease, the lease rates for the RWD ($299/mo) and Long Range AWD ($439/mo) are still significantly cheaper than the Performance AWD model ($566/mo).
Perhaps to balance this price increase, Tesla also reduced the price of some paint and interior options. Now, the solid black exterior paint color is $1,000, down from $1,500, and the black and white interior now costs $1k, rather than $1,500. Other paint options remain the same price as before.
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Environment
Hyundai’s new Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model at $169/mo
The newly designed Hyundai Kona Electric is better in every way, with more range, faster charging, and a bold new style. Hyundai’s new 2024 Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model, starting at $169 per month.
Hyundai Kona Electric cheaper to lease than gas model
Hyundai revealed the 2024 Kona Electric at the NY Auto Show last April with a sleek new “EV-derived” design.
You can instantly see the upgrades with a modern style closer to its IONIQ 5 and 6 dedicated EVs. The inside is nearly 6″ longer, with an additional 3″ legroom in the second row. A flat floor design creates more head and shoulder space than the previous model.
Hyundai included its next-gen dual 12.3″ infotainment system with a faster, more intelligent user face. It also comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.
The 2024 Kona EV features a slightly bigger battery with faster charging and up to 261 miles range. Starting under $33,000, the 2024 Kona Electric is already one of the most affordable EVs in the US.
2024 Kona EV prices
It’s available in three trims: SE, SEL, and Limited. The base SE model includes a 48.6 kWh battery for up to 200 miles range. The SEL and Limited feature a 64.8 kWh battery, good for up to 261 miles range.
2024 Hyundai Kona electric trim |
Starting Price (not including a $1,335 delivery fee) |
| SE | $32,675 |
| SEL | $36,675 |
| Limited | $41,045 |
With an up to $7,500 featured cash offer, you can lease the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric SE for as low as $169 per month.
The deal is for 24 months, with $1,999 due at signing. It also includes the $7,500 EV Lease Bonus for a net capitalized cost of $25,370.
If you’re looking for the higher-range SEL trim, it can be leased for as little as $199 per month. That’s also for 24 months, with $1,579 due at signing. With the EV credit, the net capitalized cost is $29,419.
However, you may have to act fast. Hyundai’s website shows the deal ends in five days on April 30, 2024.
Are you ready to drive off in your new Hyundai Kona Electric at some of the lowest prices yet? We can help you get started. You can use our link to find deals on the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric near you today.
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On the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss all the news coming out of Tesla’s earnings, Model 3 Performance, Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class, and more.
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