London Transit green lights plan for electric bus fleet
It’s the beginning of the end for London Transit’s fleet of noisy, carbon-belching diesel buses.
On Wednesday, the London Transit Commission (LTC) unanimously backed a consultant’s report that recommends a path to gradually transition its fleet to zero-emission electric buses over the coming years.
According to computer modelling performed by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), a combination of depot-based charging stations and so-called opportunity charging stations located along routes would support 99 per cent of local service on current routes with battery electric buses.
Despite costing about double the price of a traditional diesel bus, CUTRIC’s analysis shows that lower operating costs and environmental benefits justify an initial investment in electrification.
“An expansion fleet of 10 [electric] buses,” explained Kelly Paleczny, general manager of London Transit. “We’re also looking at both depot chargers and opportunity chargers.”
CUTRIC data comparing diesel, battery electric buses (BEB) and hydrogen fuel cell buses (FCEB). (Source: London Transit Commission)
After the purchase of the initial 10 buses, CUTRIC recommends that as existing buses reach their end of life, the LTC’s annual bus replacement program become the mechanism to replace 17 diesel buses each year with electric.
However, Paleczny recommends taking one year to evaluate the real world performance of the first buses before ordering more.
“We have those electric buses to learn from, but we [must] have backup [diesel] for those days when we have [technical] issues, which based on every transit system that’s ahead of where we are, there will be days where there are issues,” she explained.
London Transit will spend $80,000 to join with Burlington Transit as the first participants in a coalition of operators for a group-purchasing program.
The purchasing consortium aims to have the first contracts to purchase integrated systems of buses, charging stations and related equipment signed in March 2023.
Paleczny says given the delivery schedules of suppliers, the first electric buses could roll onto London streets in mid-2024.
“That gives us a year to get all of that other infrastructure complete. The Wonderland Road facility will need retrofits, London Hydro needs about a year advanced notice,” added Paleczny.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.