Hydro-Québec, Canada’s largest electricity producer, has launched a pilot project with Autobus Groupe Séguin, a Québec-based, family-owned company that operates in the field of school and chartered transportation, to support the electrification of school buses. Autobus Groupe Séguin ordered 60 electric school buses in early 2021.

The pilot project includes implementing 12 charging stations with a total power of 260 kW to support the use of 10 initial electric school buses for the back-to-school period in September. The pilot project will continue through the year and will provide an opportunity to verify certain parameters related to operating and charging electric buses.

Several Québec-based suppliers will participate in the project, including Lion Électrique, Malco Électrique and AddÉnergie. Hydro-Québec hopes the pilot project will give various suppliers the opportunity to develop their expertise for future projects.

The electrification of transportation is a key element of the Plan for a Green Economy, with the objective that electric buses represent 65% of all school buses in circulation in Québec by 2030.

Hydro-Québec would like to act as a catalyst in support of the energy transition and its mission to rethink mobility in order to make it more sustainable. To do so, the company plans to accelerate the electrification of personal, public and freight transportation by providing greater access to charging infrastructure and making it easier for everyone to benefit from cleaner forms of transportation.

Hydro-Québec is in a unique position to support carriers in the electrification of their vehicle fleets and it would like to share its expertise in the deployment and management of charging infrastructure as well as its know-how regarding energy management.

—Simon Racicot-Daignault, CEO of InnovHQ, a Hydro-Québec subsidiary with the mission of stimulating innovation and developing business opportunities designed to accelerate the energy transition