Canada’s Cities Deploying Electric Buses, Toying With Hydrogen – CleanTechnica

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Canada’s transition to electric buses is gaining momentum, with numerous cities from west to east adopting zero-emission vehicles to enhance sustainability in public transit. While hydrogen has often been getting the attention, what’s really been happening is lots of electric buses. Let’s take a trip across the country.

Victoria, located on beautiful Vancouver Island in the Pacific off the coast of British Columbia, is home to CVS Tours, which deployed North America’s first all-electric double-decker bus in 2016, manufactured by GreenPower Motor Company. BC Transit, serving the Victoria area as well as all the parts of the province that aren’t the Lower Mainland centered on Vancouver, operates a fleet of more than 1,100 fully accessible buses across British Columbia.

Vancouver, British Columbia, has seen TransLink, the city’s public transit authority, operating electric buses since 1948, primarily through its extensive trolleybus network with 260 electric trolleybuses. In 2018, TransLink participated in a demonstration project deploying four battery-electric buses and two overhead chargers on one of the region’s busiest transit routes. Vancouver previously experimented with hydrogen fuel cell buses as part of the Hydrogen Highway initiative during the 2010 Winter Olympics, but the project was discontinued due to high operational costs, one of many failures in attempting to run fleets of hydrogen buses globally. TransLink’s total fleet includes approximately 1,500 buses.

Edmonton, Alberta, has integrated electric buses into its transit network through Edmonton Transit Service (ETS). In 2020, ETS received funding to purchase 50 Proterra ZX5 40-foot electric buses, with 21 buses entering service in August 2020 and the remaining 19 scheduled to arrive later that year. More on Proterra later. These buses are charged using overhead charging units, a first in North America, to optimize space in bus garages. Additionally, in 2022, ETS partnered with Strathcona County to introduce a pilot project featuring two hydrogen-electric hybrid buses, but those buses aren’t operating on regular routes and the city cancelled orders for more hydrogen buses and a hydrogen refueling station because the system price keep rising as more costs were uncovered. The hydrogen buses are being driven to a Suncor gray hydrogen refueling station an hour south of the city and back every time they have to refuel. ETS operates a total fleet of approximately 1,000 buses.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, home to New Flyer, Canada’s only manufacturer of hydrogen buses, had a bunch of fuel cell buses on order from the firm and were planning to retrofit an old trolley car garage with an electrolyzer for them. However, the costs kept going up and up and so they cancelled the order and bought more diesel buses. They’ll end up with electric eventually.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has also begun incorporating electric buses into its public transit system. Saskatoon Transit received its first two electric buses from Nova Bus on May 31, 2024. These buses entered revenue service on July 31, 2024. Saskatoon Transit’s goal is to achieve a 100% electric fleet by 2030. The city’s total bus fleet consists of approximately 160 buses.

​Brampton Transit is embarking on an ambitious plan to transition its fleet to zero-emission vehicles, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. In 2024, the city ordered 10 LFSe+ battery-electric buses from Nova Bus, with deliveries scheduled for 2025. A deeply flawed study by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) recommended a mixed fleet approach, incorporating 700 battery-electric and 400 hydrogen fuel cell buses. The study underestimates the costs associated with hydrogen infrastructure and overstates the challenges of battery-electric buses, with bad assumptions and modeling making the blended fleet  option that’s $1.5 billion more expensive appear $10 million cheaper than the battery electric only fleet.

I expect that will fall apart and they’ll only get battery electric buses in the end. CUTRIC will either sort out its deeply conflicted Board, its flawed models and its lack of sufficient staff of sufficient seniority and experience to do the job it’s funded 80% by Canada and 20% by transit agencies to do, or it will disappear. The latter would be better at this point as its advice and guidance is so off base and flawed that it’s actually harming decarbonization of transit in the country.

Mississauga, part of the Greater Toronto Area but operating its own transit service, ​MiWay, runs a fleet of approximately 500 buses. As of April 2024, 41% of these buses are second-generation hybrid-electric models. The city is is set to pilot 10 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, despite my best efforts with Michael Raynor to get them to reconsider.

Toronto, Ontario, has been proactive in electrifying its public transit system through the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). In 2018, the TTC received three demonstrator electric buses from manufacturers Proterra, New Flyer, and BYD for evaluation. Subsequently, in April 2019, the TTC received the first of 60 electric buses after ordering 25 each from Proterra and New Flyer, and 10 from BYD, and are likely wishing they’d ordered more from BYD instead. The TTC has ordered a total of 340 battery-electric buses from New Flyer and Nova, with deliveries expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The TTC operates a total fleet of approximately 2,000 buses.

York Region, Ontario, has also taken steps toward fleet electrification. The Regional Municipality of York, adjacent to Toronto, ordered 80 LFSe+ electric buses from Nova Bus in January 2025. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2026, with the buses being manufactured at Nova Bus’s Saint-Eustache (Québec) plant. York Region Transit’s fleet includes approximately 500 buses.

Ottawa, Ontario, has integrated electric buses into its OC Transpo network. The city’s public transit agency purchased four New Flyer XE40 electric buses, which were delivered in November 2021 and entered service in early 2022. On June 7, 2021, a plan was announced to purchase 450 electric buses by 2027, aiming for full fleet electrification by 2036. OC Transpo’s fleet consists of approximately 940 buses.

Montréal, Québec, has also taken steps toward electrification through the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). As of 2023, STM operates 41 electric buses, including 37 40-foot buses. The agency plans to transition to a fully electric or hybrid bus fleet by 2029. Halifax Transit has explored the potential of hydrogen fuel cell buses, conducting a feasibility study in 2021 to assess the integration of up to 60 hydrogen fuel cell buses into its fleet. STM’s total fleet includes approximately 1,800 buses.

The process hasn’t been without learning pains. Operational adjustments have posed difficulties for transit agencies. Electric buses currently have different performance characteristics compared to their diesel counterparts, with limited range and longer recharging times. Cold weather has been particularly challenging, as battery efficiency drops, reducing the range of electric buses significantly, something that hydrogen and diesel buses also experience but at present battery electric buses have shorter range regardless, something that will resolve itself with time as battery energy densities improve and battery costs continue to plummet. Transit agencies have had to rethink scheduling, route planning, and bus maintenance strategies to account for these differences.

One of the biggest challenges facing cities in their transition to electric buses is the need for infrastructure upgrades. Deploying battery-electric buses requires charging stations, upgraded power supply systems, and modifications to bus depots, all of which demand significant investment.

Another key hurdle has been securing funding for both vehicle procurement and infrastructure development. To address these financial challenges, the Government of Canada introduced the Zero Emission Transit Fund (ZETF) in August 2021, allocating $2.75 billion over five years to support public transit and school bus operators in electrifying their fleets. This fund assists with the purchase of zero-emission buses and the construction of necessary infrastructure, such as charging stations and facility upgrades. Unfortunately, the ZETF also funds hydrogen buses, which aren’t actually zero emission.

Additionally, the Canada Infrastructure Bank has committed over $1.5 billion to accelerate the adoption of more than 5,000 zero-emission transit and school buses nationwide. Despite these substantial investments, cities must still make long-term commitments to electric fleets while ensuring that existing transit services are not disrupted during the transition.

Adding to these challenges, the bankruptcy of electric bus manufacturer Proterra in 2023 created uncertainty for cities that had purchased its vehicles. Edmonton and Toronto, both of which had Proterra buses in their fleets, faced concerns over spare parts, maintenance, and long-term reliability. In response, transit agencies sought alternative suppliers for parts and maintenance contracts, while some accelerated their transition plans to diversify their electric bus fleets with vehicles from other manufacturers.

​As if that weren’t enough, in recent years, NFI Group, the parent company of New Flyer Industries and headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has faced significant fiscal challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted operations, leading to substantial financial losses and workforce reductions within the New Flyer division. The company grappled with inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, and increased production costs, prompting a comprehensive $444 million refinancing plan in early 2023 to bolster liquidity and financial stability. NFI Group reported another net loss of $15 million in the third quarter of 2024, which while a notable improvement from previous quarters, is still in the red.

As I’ve argued, the company is at risk of failing the way Quantron did in Europe because it’s wasting money and talent on hydrogen buses instead of working to build the best electric buses it can. Further, New Flyer only managed to deliver 6,500 buses across North America in its most productive year, so cities depending on it are likely to have long wait times.

Despite these challenges, Canadian cities remain committed to electrifying their public transit systems. With continued investment, strategic planning, and innovation, they aim to overcome these obstacles and move toward a cleaner, more sustainable future for urban transportation.