Canada has the largest electric bus fleet on the road in North America
Source：CBC News
From：Taiwan Trade Center, Toronto
Update Time：2021/04/01
With the City of Toronto’s transit system currently running 59 electric buses from 3 suppliers, Canada has the largest battery-powered electric bus fleet in North America.
Emissions reductions are the main reason the Canadian federal government aims to add 5,000 electric buses to Canada's transit and school fleets by the end of 2024. New funding announced as part of the government's fall fiscal update could also give programs to electrify transit systems a boost.
In Toronto, the electrification of vehicles is a key component of the city’s TransformTO climate action strategy, which targets an 80-percent reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To meet that target, 100 percent of vehicles in Toronto must transition to low-carbon energy by 2050. The electrification of buses, which is targeted for 2040, demonstrates Toronto’s commitment to lead by example.
Vehicles generate about one-third of the emissions in Toronto today. To address this problem, the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) new electric buses operate on green propulsion technology with zero tailpipe emissions.
The government of Canada and the city of Toronto have invested C$140 million in this project under federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). The money is being used for these electric buses and to begin laying the infrastructure for future expansion of the TTC’s zero-emissions fleet. This fund is helping keep Torontonians moving through investments in the repair, modernization and expansion of the city’s transit and active transportation networks. In total, up to C$1.8 billion is being invested in Toronto through PTIF, which was launched in August 2016.
Canadian pioneers such as Toronto offer lessons for other transit systems aiming to transition to greener fleets for the low-carbon economy of the future.
However, it is not without concerns. Diesel buses are some of the noisier, more polluting vehicles on urban roads. While going electric could have big benefits, governments need to make investments and create targets and incentives for businesses and mass transit systems alike to make it work. These may include subsidies for buying electric buses and building charging stations so transit agencies do not make fares too high for end users. But it also includes more general improvements to the range and reliability of transit infrastructure; all of which require a long-term commitment from all stakeholders.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/