On June 28, 2021, City Council adopted a motion that endorsed the conversion of the Barrie Transit fleet to battery electric buses (BEBs). Through 2022, funding for the pilot project was secured from within the City ($1.7M) and with grant funding from Infrastructure Canada’s Zero Emission Transit Fund ($1.65M), for a total of $3.35M.
Pilot Details
The City will purchase two chargers and two BEBs:
- One with a fully battery electric heater
- One with a diesel auxiliary heater with a battery electric drive train
The City will collect important data in operating the buses in various scenarios and compare two different BEB configurations. Due to the weather conditions in Barrie, the ability to compare technology and data around battery performance during winter operations will help the City understand the benefits and limitations of BEBs.
This information will dictate the design and strategy for the City’s transition from fully diesel buses to BEBs, in support of Council’s initiatives to reduce the City’s carbon emissions to net-zero by the year 2050.
Anticipated Schedule
It is anticipated that the delivery of the chargers will be in 2023. However, due to ongoing supply chain issues, delivery of the buses could be closer to end of 2023.