The city of Ottawa announced $350 million in funding to go towards the purchase of 350 zero-emission buses and related charging infrastructure. The new buses are intended to replace the city's current diesel-powered buses.."Any investment in public transit in Ottawa is an investment in the environment. With the new funding for our zero-emissions bus program the Government of Canada is contributing to these shared and critical priorities," said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.."These new buses will help OC Transpo continue its work towards reducing greenhouse gases and convert our fleet to zero-emission electric fuel.".The electrification of Ottawa's bus fleet is a key initiative towards the city's goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions in municipal operations by 100% by 2040. OC Transpo aims to make its entire bus fleet zero-emission by 2036 by slowly phasing out its diesel-powered vehicles..The city currently has four electric buses, and is planning to add 26 more in 2023 and 450 by 2027. Each 40-foot electric bus costs approximately $1.3 million..Ottawa claims its investment will create jobs, improve user experience, and reduce gridlock on the roads. Electric buses are also quieter and are expected to have lower maintenance and fueling costs when compared to diesel-emitting buses. .The federal government is contributing $350 million to the project through its $2.75 billion Zero Emissions Transit Fund. Announced back in 2021, the five year national program aims to help communities invest in zero emission public transit and school transportation options..Several major cities across Canada — including Halifax, Saint John, Toronto, Windsor, Regina, and Edmonton — are electrifying their bus fleets..That funding is part of a $14.9 billion federal investment in public transit over the next eight years. It will help the Liberal government achieve its commitment to help purchase 5,000 zero emission buses over the next five years. ."Continued prosperity in the 21st century will depend on our ability to innovate and respond to the climate crisis," said President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier in a press release.."Canadian cities are rethinking their infrastructure needs to support a growing population with increasing transit needs. The Government of Canada's significant investment in the electrification of Ottawa's bus fleet will help the city reduce street noise, pollution, and energy costs, while simultaneously bolstering the local economy." .Despite having lower greenhouse gas emissions, electric buses perform poorly in cold weather when compared to traditional gas and diesel-powered buses. This is why back in February 2022, Ottawa's auditor general pushed the city to scale down its planned purchase of 74 electric buses..Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon recommended OC Transpo first make sure it had gathered enough data on technology.."We're trying to direct management to ensure that they're getting the lessons learned, and they're not biting off more than they can chew in their first round of purchases," she said..One study found temperatures of -5C to 0C resulted in a 37.8% decrease of range of an all-electric bus and a 23.1% decrease of range of a hydrogen fuel cell bus..In Juneau, Alaska, the city's lone electric bus experienced mechanical problems since its launch, struggling to hold battery charges long enough to complete an entire route during this winter’s cold weather. But the city said it is looking for a different electric vehicle manufacturer.
The city of Ottawa announced $350 million in funding to go towards the purchase of 350 zero-emission buses and related charging infrastructure. The new buses are intended to replace the city's current diesel-powered buses.."Any investment in public transit in Ottawa is an investment in the environment. With the new funding for our zero-emissions bus program the Government of Canada is contributing to these shared and critical priorities," said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.."These new buses will help OC Transpo continue its work towards reducing greenhouse gases and convert our fleet to zero-emission electric fuel.".The electrification of Ottawa's bus fleet is a key initiative towards the city's goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions in municipal operations by 100% by 2040. OC Transpo aims to make its entire bus fleet zero-emission by 2036 by slowly phasing out its diesel-powered vehicles..The city currently has four electric buses, and is planning to add 26 more in 2023 and 450 by 2027. Each 40-foot electric bus costs approximately $1.3 million..Ottawa claims its investment will create jobs, improve user experience, and reduce gridlock on the roads. Electric buses are also quieter and are expected to have lower maintenance and fueling costs when compared to diesel-emitting buses. .The federal government is contributing $350 million to the project through its $2.75 billion Zero Emissions Transit Fund. Announced back in 2021, the five year national program aims to help communities invest in zero emission public transit and school transportation options..Several major cities across Canada — including Halifax, Saint John, Toronto, Windsor, Regina, and Edmonton — are electrifying their bus fleets..That funding is part of a $14.9 billion federal investment in public transit over the next eight years. It will help the Liberal government achieve its commitment to help purchase 5,000 zero emission buses over the next five years. ."Continued prosperity in the 21st century will depend on our ability to innovate and respond to the climate crisis," said President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier in a press release.."Canadian cities are rethinking their infrastructure needs to support a growing population with increasing transit needs. The Government of Canada's significant investment in the electrification of Ottawa's bus fleet will help the city reduce street noise, pollution, and energy costs, while simultaneously bolstering the local economy." .Despite having lower greenhouse gas emissions, electric buses perform poorly in cold weather when compared to traditional gas and diesel-powered buses. This is why back in February 2022, Ottawa's auditor general pushed the city to scale down its planned purchase of 74 electric buses..Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon recommended OC Transpo first make sure it had gathered enough data on technology.."We're trying to direct management to ensure that they're getting the lessons learned, and they're not biting off more than they can chew in their first round of purchases," she said..One study found temperatures of -5C to 0C resulted in a 37.8% decrease of range of an all-electric bus and a 23.1% decrease of range of a hydrogen fuel cell bus..In Juneau, Alaska, the city's lone electric bus experienced mechanical problems since its launch, struggling to hold battery charges long enough to complete an entire route during this winter’s cold weather. But the city said it is looking for a different electric vehicle manufacturer.
