TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), a nonprofit organization that spearheads, designs, and launches technology and commercialization projects that aim to make Canada a global leader in low-carbon smart mobility, today released the fifth edition of its Canadian ZEB Database™.
This latest edition highlights the state of zero-emissions bus (ZEB) technology adoption up to July 2024, and provides insights into transit agencies' issues and challenges in their decarbonization plans.
Key Findings:
- The data suggest Canada is on track to meet its goal of 5,000 ZEBs by 2026, potentially reaching 7,000 ZEBs by the end of that year. To meet the goal, transit agencies need to expedite pre-procurement and procurement processes.
- At the time of publication, there are 5,459 ZEBs at various stages of deployment nationwide. This figure consists of 5,370 battery electric buses (BEBs) and 89 fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs).
- Ontario transit agencies lead in the number of BEBs across all stages of deployment (2,640), followed by transit agencies in Quebec (1,612), Alberta (475) and British Columbia (456).
"While the momentum towards achieving our zero emissions bus goals is truly commendable, the journey is far from over. We stand at a pivotal moment where the successes and hard lessons learned in overcoming electric bus challenges in regions like Ontario and Quebec highlight will drive the rest of the country,” said Dr. Josipa Petrunic, President & CEO, CUTRIC. “We must confront the persistent challenges of high costs for electrification infrastructure and the nascency of hydrogen supply chains head-on to get to zero emissions and drive jobs in the low carbon economy in Canada.
“Our collective efforts, supported by initiatives like the federal Zero Emission Transit Fund, will be crucial in overcoming these hurdles and ensuring a sustainable future for Canada's public transit system."
Zero-emissions transit vehicles are a key factor in Canada’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fight climate change. The transportation sector is responsible for 28 per cent of Canada's GHG emissions, with public transit accounting for one per cent of the transportation emissions. By encouraging transit use over personal vehicle use, ZEB technology can decarbonize the heavy-duty sector from well-to-wheel and produce long-term benefits for lowering GHG emissions from the automotive sector.
As the National Planning Service for the Government of Canada's Zero Emission Transit Fund, CUTRIC's database provides federal, provincial, and municipal governments, transit agencies, and manufacturers with valuable insights into the progress and obstacles encountered in electrifying transit operations.
For more information, download the full report: https://cutric-crituc.org/research-resources/
About the Canadian ZEB Database™
As part of CUTRIC's Knowledge Series publication program, the Canadian ZEB Database™ is a national database that monitors the Canadian Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) landscape and quantifies the transition to full ZEB fleets. The report uses data from transit agencies, municipalities, crown corporations, private and public operators and the public domain to establish transit agencies' and municipalities' overall readiness and progress toward decarbonizing their fleets. It covers the number, types, stages, provinces and manufacturers of ZEBs deployed across Canada. The report also highlights transit agencies' issues and challenges in their decarbonization plans.
About CUTRIC
CUTRIC is a non-profit innovation consortium with a vision to make Canada a global leader in low-carbon smart mobility. Through industry-led collaborative research and large-scale technology integration trials, CUTRIC is working to achieve this goal by focusing on technology development, integration, and standardization of low-carbon propulsion systems and smart vehicle systems, data-driven analytics in mobility, and cybersecurity in transportation. CUTRIC is designated as the National Planning Service for the Government of Canada’s Zero Emission Transit Fund.
