Québec Premier launches $73M electric bus project
08 March 2012
The Québec premier, Jean Charest, accompanied by Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife and Minister responsible for the Northern Plan, Clement Gignac, launched a $73-million electric bus project. The Québec government is supporting the work with $ 30 million to the Electric Bus Consortium.
The project will design and manufacture two aluminum bus models of different lengths (standard and micro). The project is led by six companies: Nova Bus, Bathium Canada, TM4, Giro, René Composites Materials and Précicad. For the realization of electric microbus, partners are infoDev, Styl & Tech Structures and ICC. The catalyst project will be administered by the Electric Bus Consortium, a nonprofit organization established for this purpose.
Aluminum smelters in Quebec, through the Aluminum Association of Canada, will be partners in this consortium investing $1.5 million over 4 years in research and development, contributing to the achievement of these two aluminum buses.
The core project of the electric bus fits perfectly with the goal of electrification of public transport defined in the Action Plan 2011-2020 on electric vehicles. There is no doubt that the gradual advent of electric buses will help reduce the carbon footprint of commuting by Quebecers. And every dollar spent to power a bus to hydropower is a dollar that remains in Quebec, a dollar that helps create wealth and prosperity.
—Minister Clement Gignac
E-buses (large and small) made with local aluminium in a local bus factories, using local batteries, local in-wheel e-motors and controls charged with local clean Hydro power make too much sense.
The Quebec provincial government normally contributes 80% to 90% toward the purchase of all city buses, subway cars and suburban e-trains. The products are normal built locally by Nova Bus and/or Bombadier rail systems.
Posted by: HarveyD | 08 March 2012 at 11:13 AM