Montreal to become city of electro-mobility

Volvo Group's North American subsidiary, Nova Bus, and Canada’s Societe de Transport de Montreal (STM), are to partner on an electrification project for the public transit system of Montreal. A memorandum of understanding signed by both companies includes the testing of three Nova LFSe electric buses and two charging stations in Montreal. The goal is to have the noiseless and emission-free buses operational for demonstration in the third quarter of 2015 and in regular traffic for three years, beginning
November 25, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
609 Volvo Group's North American subsidiary, Nova Bus, and Canada’s Societe de Transport de Montreal (STM), are to partner on an electrification project for the public transit system of Montreal.

A memorandum of understanding signed by both companies includes the testing of three Nova LFSe electric buses and two charging stations in Montreal. The goal is to have the noiseless and emission-free buses operational for demonstration in the third quarter of 2015 and in regular traffic for three years, beginning in 2016. The three fully electric buses will be used in city operations in Montreal and charge rapidly at bus terminals. The energy storage system used in the vehicles is leveraging on the extensive Volvo Group knowledge and technology.

Montreal will be the first city in North America to take part in the Volvo Group City Mobility program. This program brings together key players to implement sustainable and integrated innovative pilot projects. The City Mobility program includes new technologies for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions, developed by Volvo, such as hybrid and electric vehicles.

This strategic partnership aims to make Montreal a leading city with innovative solutions for electric transit. It is in line with the Government of Quebec's Transportation Electrification Strategy for 2020 to significantly lessen its ecological print and the City of Montreal's target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in 2020, compared to 1990 levels.

"We are proud to strengthen our partnership with Montreal and welcome the efforts of the Government of Quebec for the electrification of transit in Montreal," said CEO and president of Volvo Group, Olof Persson. "We have developed the city mobility program to work with governments and city authorities around the world to solve the urban transportation challenges and offer silent, emission-free and safe solutions."

Michel Labrecque, Chairman of the STM board of directors, commented: "The STM strives to become the best public transit authority in the world in its category. Our active participation in this type of demonstration project enables us to test new technologies in real operating conditions and to assess their impact on planning, operations, maintenance, and above all, the improvement of customer service. This is also our way of contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Report analyses multiple ITS projects to highlight cost and benefits
    March 16, 2015
    Every year in America cost benefit analysis is carried out on dozens of ITS installations and pilot studies and the findings, along with the lessons learned, are entered into the Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) web-based ITS Knowledge Resources database. This database holds more than 1,600 reports and periodically the USDOT reviews the material on file to draw conclusions from this wider body of evidence. It has just published one such review ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Re
    Read More
  • Cowlines app aims to bring MaaS to North America
    May 8, 2019
    Europe is seen as leading the charge as providers battle to gain traction for their Mobility as a Service apps. But that could be about to change with the roll-out of Cowlines in North America It is widely agreed that Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms have the potential to replace a lot of urban private car journeys – more than 2.3 billion of them by 2023 in fact, according to Juniper Research. Implementation of MaaS options is likely to be quicker in Europe than in the US for a number of reasons (
    Read More
  • Solid growth and improved profitability for IRD in 2013
    February 28, 2014
    International Road Dynamics (IRD) has announced solid growth for the three months and year ended 30 November 2013, with revenue up 14.7 per cent in the fourth quarter and 5.0 per cent for the year. The company says increasing service revenue contributed to improved profitability and stability of cash flows, while its China XPCT investment contributed strong earnings in the fourth quarter and the year. Revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 rose 14.7 per cent to US$12.6 million compared to US$11.0 m
    Read More
  • Mega trends will challenge transport technology
    June 5, 2015
    Jon Masters investigates some of the longer term trends that will shape transportation over the next 20 years. Business analysts and investors have already placed their bets on a future of technological smart mobility services. In December last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Uber, the on-demand taxi and lift share smartphone app and start-up business, had been valued at $41.2 billion which, as the Journal reported, is an incredible vote of confidence for a company only five years old.
    Read More

Highlighted Content