Brampton’s first electric bus arrives, getting ready for the road this spring
The Voice of Canada News
City of Brampton welcomed Brampton’s first Nova Bus electric bus to Brampton Transit’s Sandalwood Facility. This Nova Bus is the first of eight battery electric buses that will be on Brampton’s roads in spring 2021.
Over the next few months, the second Nova Bus and six buses from New Flyer will arrive at Brampton Transit’s Sandalwood Facility for the largest single global deployment of standardized and fully interoperable battery electric buses and high-powered overhead on-route charging systems – three by ABB Inc. and one by Siemens Canada Limited.
“This is a very exciting development in the milestone Pan-Canadian Battery Electric Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial in Brampton,” said Mayor Patrick Brown. “Brampton is a Green City and we are proud to collaborate with CUTRIC and various project partners to further enhance the sustainability and connectedness of our transit network through this global-first electric bus project.”
The breakthrough battery electric buses with zero tailpipe emissions will be launched on two existing conventional routes in Brampton: routes 23 Sandalwood and 26 Mount Pleasant. The four high-powered (450 kWh) overhead pantograph on-route charging stations will be launched at the Mount Pleasant Village terminal, the Queen Street/Highway 50 Züm station and the Sandalwood Transit Facility.
“Brampton City Council is committed to reducing our city’s carbon footprint,” said Paul Vicente, Regional Councillor, Wards 1 & 5, and Chair of Public Works and Engineering. “We are on a journey to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated in Brampton by 80 per cent by 2050. These buses will save approximately 235 tonnes of C02 per year, per bus.”
The eBuses are battery-powered by electricity, with electric motors, no transmission and zero tailpipe emissions, and each bus takes just three to seven minutes to charge fully.
“The eBus pilot project is an important milestone in our commitment to the Community Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan (CEERP) to reduce our contributions to global climate change and build a better future,” said Doug Whillans, City Councillor, Wards 2 & 6; Member, CEERP Community Task Force and Brampton’s representative at the Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate Change. “Brampton is a leader in sustainability.”
“The Brampton Transit team is working hard to get the buses and training ready to be in service later this spring,” said Alex Milojevic, General Manager, Brampton Transit. “This is the first step in electrifying our fleet and for the duration of the pilot project, all eight electric buses and four chargers will be identified with a new branding design.”
In 2019, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced $11.15 million in funding towards Phase 1 of the pilot project, which will test battery electric buses in Brampton this spring. The entire project will cost an estimated $15.96 million.
Brampton is a Green City
The City of Brampton is working on several initiatives under the Term of Council Priority that Brampton is a Green City, building on Brampton’s commitment to sustainability by improving transit and active transportation opportunities, focusing on energy efficiency, and revitalizing natural spaces and the urban tree canopy, including:
- Brampton Transit’s third transit maintenance facility, which will be one of North America’s largest electric bus transit facilities supporting zero tailpipe emission buses
- Brampton’s first Urban Forest Management Plan to sustain and enhance the urban forest in BramptonThe Community Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan (CEERP) to reduce our contributions to global climate change and build a better future
- Planting One Million Trees by 2040
