If it wasn鈥檛 for the blue bumper and the soft chime it makes at slower speeds most people wouldn鈥檛 even know the bus they were looking at was the first all-electric school bus in Western Canada.
Known as an e-Lion, the 70-seat school bus was on display at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge during a two-day convention for the Alberta Student Transportation Advisory Council.
Unlike its diesel and gas counterparts, the all-electric bus derives its power from a series of five lithium ion batteries underneath its carriage propelling it up to 150 kilometres per charge in optimal conditions.
Jeremy Kureluk, a salesperson with Rental Bus Lines Ltd., said his company expects the bus鈥檚 range to fall somewhere between 100 to 120 km a charge.
鈥淲e want to make sure we have some leeway in there because we don鈥檛 want to have this bus on the side of the road with a dead battery,鈥� said Kureluk.
His company currently owns 50 buses, and operates 42 school bus routes in Parkland County, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain.
鈥淥ur short rural routes in Parkland County top out at 116 km for a full day so typically these buses could handle that,鈥� Kureluk said, adding the bus will go into operation in the next few weeks.
To fully charge the bus using a 100 amp charging station it takes between four to six hours. The bus can also be charged using any electric vehicle (EV) charging station however the average EV charging station only produces 40 amps, taking significantly longer to charge.
To ensure people can hear the bus approaching, it also emits a soft, but curious chime to alert people of its presence. The chime can be programmed for different speeds as required.
According to Kureluk, an all-electric bus costs approximately $340,000, about $210,000 more than your typical diesel or gas powered school bus.
鈥淭here is a giant cost difference and without government support, like they have in Quebec, it鈥檚 not going to take off.鈥�
Currently the provincial government in Quebec offers a $125,000 rebate for each bus, however the rebate is only available to customers in that province.
鈥淲ith government subsidies they鈥檝e been able to get these buses to market, without that they鈥檙e not financially viable enough to take on,鈥� Kureluk said, explaining the program has helped get 75 buses on the road in Quebec.
鈥淭he University of Alberta did a feasibility study on the bus and they found that in order to make this a financially viable option, that people would even entertain, the government would have to come up with a subsidy of about $135,000 per bus,鈥� said Kureluk.
The basic components of the bus, such as its brakes and the power steering are the same as a conventional bus making it easy to replace and fix when needed.
The bus is also made out of a composite material eliminating corrosion and making it light to improve fuel economy.
To ensure the batteries and cab of the bus stay warm in the winter the bus also has a diesel proheat system.
鈥淯nlike your standard electric vehicles when it gets to minus 20 it depletes quite drastically. By having the proper heating in that bus we are able to get a larger range in the colder climate and that was the big thing on how they designed this bus,鈥� said Kureluk.
According to Autobus Lion, the Quebec-based manufacturer, companies will save more than $30,000 in fuel costs over the 20-year life cycle of the bus.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that this will help the government become more environmentally friendly and reduce our carbon foot print and reduce disease emissions,鈥� said Kureluk.
Paul Clarke
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