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Having made its local debut at the Melbourne Motor Show earlier this year, the JAC T9 EV Dual-Cab 4x4 ute has been slotted into a real-world trial with WA-based mining services provider, Warrikal, to examine its performance in one of the harshest work environments in the country.
Beginning this month, a six-month field evaluation of the JAC T9 EV will look at operational performance in a large iron ore mining operation in WA’s Pilbara region.
Warrikal is a supplier to operators of tier-one (large, long life and low cost) mines across Western Australia and confirms its current fleet consists primarily of diesel-powered Toyota HiLux 4x4s (the de-facto mining industry standard) with the decision to trial the JAC T9 EV representing its “first step in exploring opportunities to transition this fleet from diesel to electric”.
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Aside from performance under Pilbara operating conditions (heat, dust, durability and robustness in operation) evaluation criteria include, battery life and charging efficiency relative to diesel refuelling (including range comparisons) as well as usability and practicality relative to the current diesel vehicles (on day and night shifts).
There’s also compliance with client and Warrikal safety protocols, total cost of ownership (compared to traditional diesel equivalents), emissions reduction potential and integration with existing Warrikal fleet management systems.
The T9 EV features a 70kW/176Nm motor on the front axle and a 150kW/340Nm unit at the rear, which JAC directly combines to quote overall outputs of 220kW/516Nm.
It’s fitted with a CATL-sourced 88kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery for a claimed (WLTP) range of 330km.
Having raised eyebrows on show in Melbourne it’s unclear when (or if) the T9 EV will go on public sale in Australia.
CarsGuide understands next priorities for the T9 ute in internal-combustion form (on sale locally since March this year) are cab chassis variants, likely in the fourth quarter, followed by PHEV models in 2026.
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