Viability of all-electric school bus fleet depends on tech improvements

If the Department of Transportation opts to replace this year’s fleet of aging-out diesel school buses with electrics, key issues will need to be resolved to avoid concern, says the Public Schools Branch’s Director of Transportation and Risk Management, Dave Gillis.

“We’re at a critical point,” he said.

About a third of the Island’s approximate 300 school buses are electric. The 107 vehicles purchased from Lion Electric Co based in Quebec have been experiencing significant mechanical issues compared to older diesel vehicles and can only travel 200 km at best before needing to recharge - a process that takes between six to eight hours to complete.

With these challenges, the Public Schools Branch’s ability to manage regular operations has been underpinned by the fleet’s diesels, Mr Gillis said.

Before students go back to school in September of 2024, approximately 25, 13-year-old diesel buses will need to be replaced due to reaching a provincially regulated age limit. While a bit younger, others may also warrant replacement based on their condition. It’s also possible more buses will be needed to accommodate a consistently growing population of students.

If priority issues with the electric buses aren’t resolved soon, it could be worth considering purchasing more diesels this year to avoid potential impacts moving forward, Mr Gillis said.

Having 15 per cent of the fleet available as spares is ideal, he noted.

He and his colleagues strategically spread about 40 spares across the Island’s four depots located in Charlottetown, Summerside, Cardigan and Elmsdale to be sure regular runs to and from school and extracurriculars are possible - even when some buses need to be taken off the road for repairs or maintenance. Spares also support the PSB’s ability to respond to early school closures and in emergency situations requiring evacuation.

If availability in any of the four regions drops to five per cent, contingency plans can typically still be arranged without any impact, Mr Gillis said.

When availability drops below that, it’s a cause for concern, he said. The hope at that point is nothing else goes wrong.

Electric bus mechanical issues have played a role in stretching spare availability below five per cent from time to time in each of the regions this year. However, no school closure decisions or emergency responses have been impacted to date.

“We’ve been lucky,” Mr Gillis said. But if solutions aren’t implemented in time and more electrics replace outgoing diesels, it would stack the odds against the PSB’s ability to maintain the service’s status quo.

While Mr Gillis acknowledges challenges with electric buses are straining the system, at the end of the day he is also optimistic procuring more electrics could still be a viable option.

“The technology is advancing fast,” he said.

Clay Moase is the senior fleet manager for the Department of Transportation which purchases and maintains school buses for the PSB.

In the past six to eight weeks engineers and staff from heater manufacturers that supply Lion Electric Co have come to PEI from the US and across Canada, he said. Heater breakdowns causing windows to fog up, limiting driver visibility have been one of the main problems forcing electric buses off the roads.

There are currently five buses testing the new heater modifications.

“Of course, the real test will be when the weather gets cold again,” Mr Moase added, but he expects the changes will significantly reduce if not completely resolve the problem.

Manufacturers have been working to solve another common issue - the current brake compressor design has caused moisture to build up within the system in cold weather. This has kept a number of buses off the road.

Mr Moase said design changes geared to address this issue are expected to be available for rollout on Island buses this month.

Low availability of mechanics able to repair major or complex electric bus issues have kept some out of order for extended periods.

Mr Moase said there is now an additional Lion Electric mechanic working on PEI and ways to further train local mechanics are under development.

The newest Lion Electric Co buses’ range has also been extended by 50 km in perfect conditions and charging station abilities are improving too.

Recently developed chargers are expected to charge the vehicles in two to three hours which could reduce reliance on diesels’ long-distance capacity.

A bus tender has not been released by government yet this year and the Minister of Transportation declined comment about whether the department is considering purchasing any diesels 2024.

However, a media representative sent The Graphic a joint statement attributed to the Departments of Transportation and Infrastructure, Education and Early Years as well as Environment, Energy and Climate Action which asserted government’s commitment to building resiliency to the impacts of climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and becoming the first net zero province.

The statement added, the transportation sector has the greatest potential for significant emissions reduction in the short and medium term on PEI and the province will regularly add electric school buses to the system to meet the goal of a completely electric fleet by 2030.

Rachel Collier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic