Australia's 'first production EV' revealed

Hailed as Australia’s first production electric car, the Tomcar LV1 is due to go on sale in February 2017 after a two-year development program involving Tomcar and NSW-based electric vehicle technology developer Energetique.

Designed essentially for the mining industry, the new vehicle builds on the Tomcar ATV that was introduced in 2012 as a workhorse suited to use in farming, tourism, search and rescue, police work and national parks.

It is available in petrol or diesel form and is based on a military ATV used in compact zones around the world.

While the regular Tomcar was designed to have a high Australian content, the EV version is aimed at a figure of better than 60 per cent.

The company says the all-electric LV1 is not just Australian-built at its Melbourne facilities, but was also entirely locally developed in partnership with Energetique Pty Ltd, which is based in Armidale, NSW.

Tomcar co-founder and CEO David Brim said: "We have been working with Energetique on this project for over a year, keeping it secret while creating the world’s toughest EV -- to be built right here in Australia. The entire vehicle is being developed here.”

The company said the brief to design and build the LV1 was simple: To developed a robust electric vehicle capable of operating reliably in some of the most challenging environments for sustained periods, with little or no maintenance.

Fed by a selection of 270-425 VDC 12-20kWh battery modules, the LV1 is powered by an electric motor capable of producing as much as 100kW and 300Nm peak, or 60kW/150Nm continuously.

Tomcar started manufacturing the ATV at its Oakleigh facility in outer Melbourne in 2011, in partnership with tier one automotive component supplier MTM.

Albeit on a small scale, it's a reassuringly positive story for Australia's ailing automotive manufacturing industry.