Grand River Transit to conduct electric bus pilot project
Posted Mar 31, 2022 11:30:00 AM.
Plans are in the works for Grand River Transit to undergo an electric bus pilot project.
GRT is awaiting funding from both the provincial and federal governments to purchase the buses, but plans to purchase 11 electric vehicles to arrive by early to mid next year.
“It's a small pilot, but we're looking at getting prepared for the future of how our service will be run and what type of vehicles we'll be purchasing going forward,” Neil Malcolm, the Region's acting director or transit told Kitchener Today on CityNews 570.
Malcolm said the plan is to run a one to two year pilot project to see how the buses perform, and then take recommendations to regional council. In 2020, the region decided to no longer purchase diesel buses, and only hybrid-electric vehicles, with plans to test out electric buses.
One of the main challenges is range, and evaluating which routes the electric buses can run, and how long they can stay on the road before needing a recharge. Malcolm said that's something the pilot will hopefully help determine.
“An electric bus would be fully charged overnight at the depot, but it couldn't stay on the road all day,” said Malcolm. “The range is likely between 200-400km depending on the vehicle, the battery, the charge, and other factors, like temperature, climate, and weight.”
Malcolm said electric buses are more costly than diesel, but there are savings in other areas, such as fuel. The life span is anticipated to be similar to diesel buses, which is around 14 years.
“We've had a handful of hybrid buses in the fleet since 2008, and they've proven they can last,” added Malcolm. “We anticipate that fully electric will last a similar timeline.”
