Rivian deal for mining support comes in wake of sales start for Ford.

AMERICA’S top super-sized electric utilities are starting to roam the Australian landscape - but that potentially doesn’t elevate chance of seeing either here.

In wake of confirmation that the Ford F-150 Lightning (top) is beginning sale in right hand drive across the Tasman - but with no brand involvement in that process - comes news that a large mining transport company there has announced a partnership with Rivian Automotive that will bring in its R1T (above).

However, whereas the Lightning is for public consumption - albeit for a stiff price - the RT1will be restricted to on-site work by Mevco, where they will replace diesel models in a bid to significantly lessen environmental and financial costs.

That the RT1 is more powerful than incumbent choices and offers more advanced features and smoother rides are other benefits, cited by Mevco chief executive Matt Cahir in an interview with Australian Associated Press.

“It’s the most exciting time that mining has seen in 30 years,” he said.

“This is the most technically advanced vehicle the mining industry has ever seen and it’s going from … a vehicle driving down a corrugated road that will loosen your fillings to something that is really state-of-the-art with high performance and high capability.”

Cahir said it would take time for mining companies to fully electrify their vehicle fleets and install the charging infrastructure needed to support the vehicles.

But he said delays to getting electric utes into the country had been holding the transition back and Australian mining firms were calling out for more options.

“This is the only electric ute built from the ground up outside the Tesla Cybertruck,” he said. “The Tesla Cybertruck is not really fit for the mining industry in terms of design.”

It’s understood the first R1Ts in Australia will be left-hand drive models but right-hand drive vehicles will be made available in future.

The F-150 Lightning programme is being run by an entrepreneurial Queensland business, AusEV, which takes vehicles from the United States then converts them.

That’s ostensibly the same route taken by Ford Australia with V6 F-150s. But that programme uses a different production line and those vehicles are completed with the backing of Ford in the US, which also provisions a full factory warranty, lacking with the Lightnings.

The Lightnings feature a dual-motor 4x4 set-up, with the Standard Range outputting 337kW/1050Nm, enabling a claimed 0-100kmh acceleration time in around 5.0 seconds.

Those are big numbers … but so are the stickers. Prices for the Lightning start from the equivalent of $NZ245,582 before on-road costs for the Standard Range, and rise to $278,372 plus on-road costs for the top-spec Extended Range.

It is more than double the price of the factory-backed Ford Australia provisioned petrol-powered type there, which starts at $NZ116,740 plus on-road costs for the XLT short-wheelbase and stretches to $NZ153,844 plus on-roads for the top-spec Lariat long-wheelbase.

Unlike factory-backed Ford F-150s which carry a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty – with Ford Australia backing – the AusEV Lightning features a "bumper-to-bumper" assurance period of three years and five years for high-voltage components – both covering unlimited kilometres.

The F-150 Lightning also comes with five years of complimentary servicing, as well as roadside assistance over the warranty period.