TransLink made an announcement Thursday morning that it is bringing four fast-charging electric-battery buses trail to the Metro Vancouver region in 2019. This clean technology will allow TransLink to explore a new way to reduce carbon emissions.
Bus manufactures New Flyer and Nova Bus will each produce two electric-battery buses for testing on Route 100, the route connecting Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster through Marine Drive.
“Investments in electric charging stations reflect Canada’s commitment to clean technology initiatives that reduce emissions and contribute to our climate goals,” Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources said in a press release.
At the each end of the route, high-powered charging stations will be installed to provide rapid charging for buses within four to seven minutes.
Currently, half of TransLink’s bus fleet runs on cleaner technology, which includes 262 electric trolleys, 145 compressed natural gas buses and 255 buses that run on hybrid diesel.
“The electric bus trial is a significant step for Metro Vancouver, especially as gas and diesel vehicles are the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in our region,” Greg Moore, chair of Metro Vancouver said in a press release.
“These are the viable alternatives we are looking at as we develop our Climate 2050 Strategy, which aims to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change, and our ongoing initiatives to reduce harmful emissions of diesel particulate matter.”
This is a two-and-a-half year integration trial and TransLink will collect data on the electric buses and charging stations, taking performance, maintenance and customer experience into consideration.
