Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Study
FrançaisThe Next Step to Electrifying the Winnipeg Transit Fleet
As cities across North America embrace a new vision for sustainable transportation made possible by recent advances in battery-electric bus technology, the City of Winnipeg has invested $1 million to help understand what it would take to make that vision a reality here. More than just purchasing zero-emission buses (ZEB), to transition to a fully electric fleet would require an overhaul of transit operations, every facet of which was designed for diesel.
The Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Study is now underway. The project builds on a successful electric bus demonstration, and the work of a 2015-16 task force that determined more information was needed to understand how to transition to an electric fleet, and what changes would be needed for planning, operation and maintenance based on electric bus charging technologies. The study will provide Transit with the information required to purchase and operate between 12 and 20 zero-emission buses, the first phase to transitioning its fleet.
- Timeline
- Background
- Documents
- FAQs
- Related Links
Project Timeline
Background
A decade of development in Manitoba
The current Transition to Zero Emission Bus Study builds on trailblazing local efforts to develop and test electric bus technology for use in a cold-climate province. Electric bus activities began in Manitoba in 2010, when the Province of Manitoba signed an MOU with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop and demonstrate electric buses.
In 2012, a demonstration began using a prototype bus built with Mitsubishi’s battery technology and Manitoba bus manufacturer New Flyer’s advanced Xcelsior glider platform. The bus was used to shuttle Manitoba Hydro employees between its headquarters on Portage Avenue and a location on Taylor Avenue, where a rapid-charger was temporarily located.
Electric buses go into service on Route 20 Watt-Academy
Following the first demonstration, New Flyer applied for funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada to expand the project and develop four additional prototype buses for demonstration.
The City of Winnipeg partnered with New Flyer for the demonstration, which saw the buses being operated in on-route service with Winnipeg Transit for four years beginning in 2014. The buses operated on a two-hour route, Route 20 Watt-Academy, and utilized an on-route rapid charging system installed at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. The demonstration provided key insights into the construction, operation, and maintenance of battery electric buses, and the prototypes were retired and returned to the manufacturer in 2018.
Task force forms
Recognizing the success of the ongoing demonstration, in November 2015 the City of Winnipeg and the provincial government announced the formation of a joint task force on transit electrification, which included representatives from Manitoba Hydro, New Flyer, and Red River College.
It summarized its findings in July 2016 in a report that outlined a number of benefits to new electric technology, including reduced fuel costs, reduced maintenance costs, as well as reduced GHG emissions and noise.
The task force concluded that while diesel buses were less costly than electric buses overall, the declining cost of batteries and the uncertain but likely-to-increase cost of diesel meant there could be a longer-term economic advantage to electric buses.
It also found there would be a significant cost to integrate electric buses into current transit networks, and while studies in North America had focused on small-scale testing, more information was needed to determine how to integrate electric buses on a larger scale. It was recommended that electrification be pursued in a staged approach; first deploying 12 to 20 electric buses, increasing to 120 to 200 buses, then full electrification.
Current study: Transition to Zero-Emission
The task force noted the demonstration in Winnipeg as one of the most advanced in the world, and the practical experience gained here made the location ideal for deploying electric buses on a larger scale.
As part of its 2019 budget, City Council approved a $1 million investment to study how to transform a system of planning, operation, and maintenance designed around diesel buses – which at 22 hours are able to operate for longer without refueling than any zero-emission alternative. While the benefits of zero-emission are clear, successful adoption will require the development of new systems that work with the technology’s limitations.
The current study includes several components, including:
- A technical assessment comparing the performance of various current zero-emission bus technologies (standard battery electric and fuel cell battery electric, in both 40 and 60-foot lengths) against diesel
- An assessment of the reduction in greenhouse gas transitioning to zero-emission buses would realize
- A Class 3 estimate of capital and operational costs associated with the introduction of 12-20 zero emission buses, which would represent approximately 2-3 percent of Winnipeg Transit’s fleet
- A review of charger installation at Brandon Garage, a site selection for a potential hydrogen refueling station (required for fuel cell battery electric buses), and a solar feasibility study evaluating the potential for energy collection via a rooftop solar panel at Brandon Garage.
- A detailed long-term transition plan
It will be presented to Winnipeg City Council in early 2021.
Documents
| Document Name | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Future is Ahead of You: Summary Report of the Manitoba Government and City of Winnipeg Joint Task Force on Transit Electrification | July 2016 | Report |
FAQs
The technical assessment component of the study identified a need to further evaluate three kinds of zero-emission buses: battery electric and fuel-cell battery electric (also known as battery dominant), each of which have advantages and disadvantages.
- On-route rapid charge battery electric buses, the option most similar to the prototype buses previously used in Winnipeg;
- Long-range standard battery electric buses; and
- Fuel-cell battery electric buses (FC-BEBs, also known as battery dominant fuel-cell buses).
Battery electric buses need to be charged at more regular intervals and can operate for shorter durations, while FCBEBs require refueling with hydrogen – generated using energy from electricity in Manitoba – that allows the battery powering the bus to charge while it is in use, giving it a longer range and more operational flexibility. FCBEBs would be more similar to diesel to plan for and operate, and they have improved cold-weather efficiency, and greater resiliency in the event of a long-term power outage...
Most electric buses currently in use in Canada are battery electric, which are less expensive to purchase than FB-BEBs. FCBEBs are currently in use in select U.S. and European locations, and more widely in Asia, while several cities in Canada, like Winnipeg, are studying their potential use.
The study is also looking at acquiring a mix of 40 and 60-foot buses, in order to evaluate the various sizes that would be needed to fully transition the fleet to zero-emission.
The electric bus demonstration that began in Winnipeg in 2014 saw buses charging on-route. Since then, advances in technology have improved the range of battery electric buses, making it more feasible to plan for charging buses in Transit’s bus storage garage instead of at an end-of-route terminal while buses are operating.
The study is reviewing the installation of chargers for battery electric buses at the Brandon Garage, as well as site selection for a hydrogen refueling station for FCBEBs.
Like with all fuels, there is some degree of risk associated with hydrogen. However, this technology is mature and has achieved a high level of safety through design validation, testing and certification.
Additionally, with the low-cost, green electricity available in Manitoba, the cost to produce hydrogen for fuelling would be competitive or lower than diesel.
The Manitoba Government and City of Winnipeg Joint Task Force of Transit Electrification determined that a deployment of a minimum of 12 buses and as many as 20 would be required to better understand issues that may arise with integrating zero-emission buses in the fleet. That range would represent 2-3 percent of the Winnipeg Transit fleet, and the task force stated the next step would be to deploy 120 to 200 buses, representing 20-30 percent of the total Winnipeg Transit fleet.
Yes. The study will consider what full electrification would look like, and will include plans for a test fleet based on evaluating all technologies that would be included in a larger scale deployment. That’s why the current study includes a mix of 40 and 60-foot buses in the initial 12-20 bus deployment, as well as a mix of battery electric and fuel-cell battery electric buses, to provide all the data needed to properly assess technologies.
Winnipeg Transit is exploring a number of funding sources that it could apply to, including the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Infrastructure Canada Investment Program, which requires contributions from other levels of government. Other sources of funding being explored include the Canada Infrastructure Bank Growth Plan, a federal fund announced in October 2020 to aid with economic recovery from the pandemic that includes $1.5 billion in total funding to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure; the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund; and potentially applicable green infrastructure programs from Natural Resources Canada.
