MacLean Engineering announced recently that Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has committed $2.5 million in funding to support the company’s battery-electric vehicle (BEV) research and development program. The announcement occurred during the Canadian Critical Minerals Forum at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2026 Convention in Toronto.
The federal investment, delivered through NRCan’s Mining Decarbonization Demonstration Call under the Energy Innovation Program, will accelerate commercialization of MacLean’s GR8 EV Grader. This grader represents the inaugural model for the company’s newly created surface mining vehicle division.
In September 2024 at MINExpo, MacLean and Fortescue co-announced the development of a fleet of GR8 EV Graders for Fortescue’s Western Australia operations.
Tim Hodgson, Ontario’s minister of energy and natural resources, alongside MacLean Engineering President Stella Holloway, made the funding announcement. The funding for MacLean Engineering, based in Collingwood, Ontario, will support the design and development of the MacLean GR8 EV graders to support mining operations in Canada and the broader mining industry, commencing with Fortescue in Western Australia.
NRCan’s investment will help advance the commercialization of the MacLean GR8 EV grader, a novel Canadian clean technology product with global applications across the surface mining sector.
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