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54 www.resourceworld.com J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 6 Left Garet Michaud, field service technician, with diesel carrier, Jay Michaud, President, on the right with electric carrier. Photo courtesy of United Personnel Carriers. United personnel carriers adjusting to a changing industry by Kathrine Moore UNITED PERSONNEL CARRIERS, based in Ontario, Canada, set out to build a low cost per hour vehicle that is rugged enough for the harsh environment of an underground mine. Who better to take on the challenge than a licensed heavy equip- ment mechanic? Jay Michaud, President of United Personnel Carriers, modifies recreational vehicles for the mining indus- try that are, as he says, the safest on the market. Michaud set out to build a carrier that "would surpass the mining industry's expectations". He bought a stock 4x4 utility vehicle and took it apart piece by piece, put it back together, modified it, tested it, and certified it. The company sold their first unit to Goldcorp in 2009. Underground vehicles must meet ever more astringent emission and safety standards. Michaud is reinventing their personnel carriers by revamping diesel fueled personnel carriers into carriers that run on batteries. He says that the change is a necessary one and that, "the mining industry has been running on diesel for a long time". Keeping mines well ventilated is expen- sive; it uses a lot of hydro which isn't getting any cheaper. Running under- ground machinery and vehicles on diesel adds to ventilation costs. It makes sense to convert to electric powered vehicles wher- ever possible. Michaud said that it doesn't require big expensive carriers to do the job, just better planning combined with new battery technology. After building over 100 units in the past five years, Michaud decided it was time to build a unit that is easy to maintain, cost efficient and readily available. He designed an electric version of the personnel car- rier in response to the needs of mining industry for cost efficient, zero emission solutions. With the new technology that is available and battery storage capacity increasing year after year it just makes sense to build this type of unit. Dubbed the Shifter, the modified machine has an electric motor, spring- applied hydraulic release brakes; heavy duty lighting, a rugged NEMA-certified control panel, fire proof wiring, sealed controls and a cargo capacity of 800 pounds. The diesel Shifter can be built to carry up to five individuals. Michaud says they can now provide customers with three to five-person car- riers by increasing the horsepower. "We were limited with the diesel engines out- put rated at 22 horsepower; we can now install a 65 horsepower, liquid cooled, electric motor with regenerative brak- ing and a 96 DC volt power pack without much modification." The machines can operate up to five hours before needing to recharge. An onboard charger eliminates the need for central charging stations. The carriers can be charged anywhere there is 240 volt AC or 120 volt AC outlet. Michaud says combining these tough vehicles with excellent customer service, including field service aimed to keep down time to a minimum and backed by an extensive parts inventory, goes a long way towards keeping operating costs low. The vehicles were designed to be repaired quickly, and often can be repaired in one shift. "We took our time in developing this product to make sure we met all the requirements needed for the underground industry and now we believe we have the product that mining companies are be looking for." n MININGWORLD