Edmonton debuts fleet of new electric buses

Source: Sarah Ryan · GLOBAL NEWS · | July 23, 2020

The City of Edmonton has acquired 21 electric-battery buses for public transport. Wes Rosa / Global News

The City of Edmonton is now home to 21 battery-electric buses which will hit the roads starting in August.

ETS ordered 40 electric buses from Proterra, which built, wrapped and painted them in South Carolina.

The buses run off long-range batteries, which are powered using electricity from overhead charging stations in the garage when they’re not in use. Edmonton is one of the first cities in North America to have this type of charging technology.

The buses can travel up to 350 km on a single charge and the batteries work in all weather conditions.

Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson got to test drive one of the buses in a parking lot on Thursday.

“It’s going to be extraordinary for our operators and for the public to be on a really quiet, comfortable, super high-efficient bus.”

Iveson also touted the long-term savings involved with electric buses.

“They do cost more to buy but they’re about 30 per cent more efficient to operate. And at a time where we’re all sort of scratching our heads to make sure that all civic expenditures — particularly transit — are as efficient as possible and as focused as possible, these super-efficient buses will help us long into the future, control the cost of delivering service.”