Skip to main content

Canadian government invests in electric bus infrastructure

The government of Canada will invest CAN$1.2m into the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority’s (TransLink’s) demonstration project to install overhead charging stations for electric buses in Vancouver. The funding follows a commitment to support initiatives that provide citizens with more options for environmentally-friendly driving. Bus manufacturers New Flyer Industries and Nova Bus will develop the electric transit buses while ABB and Siemens will develop the chargers. These companies
April 26, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The government of Canada will invest CAN$1.2m into the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority’s (376 TransLink’s) demonstration project to install overhead charging stations for electric buses in Vancouver. The funding follows a commitment to support initiatives that provide citizens with more options for environmentally-friendly driving.

Bus manufacturers New Flyer Industries and Nova Bus will develop the electric transit buses while ABB and Siemens will develop the chargers. These companies will also evaluate the products’ interoperability and performance.

Additionally, the government has invested CAN$182.5m to support the development of electric chargers, natural gas and hydrogen refuelling stations, the demonstration of new charging technologies and the advancement of codes and standards.

Kevin Desmond, CEO of TransLink, said: "Mass transit has always scored high as a sustainable way to move large numbers of people, but many transit vehicles still use carbon-based fuels. Today, almost half our bus fleet runs on cleaner technology including our electric trolley, hybrid diesel and natural gas buses. With this fast-charge, battery-electric trial, TransLink is getting the on-the-ground experience we need."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Shell consortium plans bulk hydrogen production project
    September 4, 2017
    A consortium of Shell Deutschland Oil and Shell Energy Europe with partners ITM Power, SINTEF, thinkstep and Element Energy plans a project to install a large scale electrolyser to produce hydrogen at the Wesseling refinery site within the Rheinland Refinery Complex. With a capacity of ten megawatts, this would be the largest unit of its kind in Germany and the world’s largest PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) electrolyser.
  • Scottish government to provide more funding for low-carbon buses
    August 31, 2012
    A third round of funding for low-carbon buses has been announced by the Scottish government. A total of £3 million (US£4.7 million) will be available to bus operators under the Green Bus Fund 3 scheme. Keith Brown, Scottish transport minister, said the first two rounds helped nine operators introduce 74 new eco-friendly buses. Lothian Buses, which secured funds in an earlier round, said its new ADL Enviro 400H hybrids are 56.7% more fuel efficient than the old buses they replaced.
  • Launch of first London HyFive hydrogen refuelling station
    May 12, 2016
    ITM Power has opened its first public access hydrogen refuelling station in London at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, the first of three UK stations to be deployed as part of the pan European HyFive project, which was funded by the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU) and the UK Government Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP, who announced a US$2.8 million (£2 million) government fund to support the roll-out of hydrogen vehicles in
  • Engie unveils CNG station to refuel buses in West Africa
    December 18, 2018
    Engie and its engineering subsidiary Tractebel have installed a compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa, to refuel 50 buses. The station has been built as part of the Ivorian government’s commitment to the Paris COP 21 agreement to reduce emissions. Engie’s CNG fuelling station is located at transport company Société des Transports Abidjanais’ (SOTRA) premises in Yopougon, a suburb within the city of Abidjan. Once fully commissioned, it is anticipated to have a