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 electric powertrain, battery, and advanced operator control system. The company said the 153 is smaller in all dimensions than a comparable diesel loader, but has 300% of the power.

“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. “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.”