TransLink begins new era of bus electrification
TransLink begins new era of bus electrification
A new member of the family has charged into service.
The new LFSe+ battery-electric bus from Nova Bus is now running on Metro Vancouver streets, making its world debut. This is the first of 15 new battery-electric buses that will replace aging diesel buses and reduce over 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Each new bus:
- Can travel over 150 kilometres on a single charge (~4 times further than the current model)
- Can top up its battery for the next trip at overhead on-route fast charge stations in approximately 5 minutes
- Will save TransLink $40,000 in fuel costs annually
- Uses new, lighter seats that were voted on by customers last year
- These seats make the bus 250 pounds lighter, which helps it to travel further on a single charge
This is the fifth battery-electric bus to join our bus fleet. When all 19 buses are in service in early 2024, the 100 22nd Street Station/Marpole Loop route becomes the first route to be fully electrified by battery-electric buses.
Route 100 is the only route with overhead charging infrastructure at either end, so it is currently the only route with on-route charging capabilities for battery-electric buses. In the coming months, we’ll announce the purchase of more battery-electric buses as well as the charging infrastructure to support them.
Based on targets outlined in TransLink’s Climate Action Strategy and Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities, we plan to add more than 400 battery-electric buses to the fleet by 2030, transition to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040, and become net-zero in all operations by 2050.
Charged so well it lasted one round trip on launch day because the chargers wouldn’t lower.
Where does the electricity come from? Why won’t anyone answer that question? If it’s clean technology, surely the electricity generating power is coming from a clean supply source, right?
The electricity comes from BC Hydro, which is 98% clean (mostly hydroelectricity). So yes, it’s clean.
Does BC Hydro use fossil fuels?
About 98% of the power BC Hydro generates already comes from clean or renewable resources, mostly from our hydroelectric resources that are powered by water. Yet, despite having access to the cleanest electricity, nearly 70% of the energy used by British Columbians is provided by fossil fuels.Dec 7, 2021
Why have there been zero electric coaches on the 100 line for well over two months this summer. Both charging stations in Marpole and 22nd station are off?
TransLink already has 100% electric buses. They’re called trolleybuses and they don’t depend on mining dirty or conflict metals to operate. Aesthetics and operational issues aside, that’s the best way to green most frequent stop buses, and TransLink should be trying to expand that network
Pretty sure the EPU batteries on the latest North American trolleys are similar to battery-electric buses for longer range capabilities off-wire.
What about other cities surrounding cities like Richmond and so on?
Which batteries do these buses use?
The batteries are “LFSe+” but a google search on that particular battery chemistry yields nada. However an educated guess would be some like a Lithium/ Iron/ Selenium chemistry. But that is a guess. Nova busses is buying the battery module from somebody else and it is likely propriatorey. It is the wild west in the battery business as alternatives to cobalt, manganese and nickel are getting a lot of investment and research and people don’t necessarily share.
Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing them on Richmond routes in time to come.
If they can go 150 km’s on a single charge why just assign them to the 100? I’m sure if they are assigned to any route out of 22nd Street Station they can go on a complete round trip then be recharged. Sending them back & forth between 22nd Street & Marpole Loop on that short distance then recharging the battery seems like a waste of time!
Thanks Translink for thinking for us and our environmental future, and putting BC up to date with this new state of the art technology of electric busses. I am really amazed!