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.
Did you know? The City's Electrify Barrie Program includes electric vehicle infrastructure projects plus education and awareness initiatives.
Pilot Details
The City purchased 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
The chargers were delivered in November 2023 and installed in February 2024. The buses are expected to be delivered in early 2025.