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Originally Posted by bomberjet
They need to put charging stations at the end of routes (or key locations) and adjust routes as needed. Drivers gets breaks so they'd have to charge the bus at that time. It would limit where and when breaks could be taken. Those charging stations are quite expensive as they require high power output for fast charging. Maybe go back to catenary system?? (ya right, never happen)
Kildonan Place bus loop for example. Polo Park. Somewhere downtown near Graham.
In general seems the price of buses needs to come down. How are other Cities making a go of this? Just paying the premium for the buses and dealing with it?
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Other cities in North America that are switching to electric are purchasing electric buses in similar volumes as Winnipeg. No other city in North America has, or is planning to switch to "entirely electric" bus fleets.
The main issue is money. Buying electric buses is only a small component of the overall cost. The additional electrical infrastructure and charging stations required are going to make up the largest, long term share of costs associated with the switch. You can't just buy 100 electric buses and have them running the next day. You need mechanics and techs familiar with the new electric technology, you need people who can install the new infrastructure, and you need the space to charge all those buses.
Other cities who have more public funds to work with and throw at their transit system can more easily respond to adding charging capacity, facilities, and hiring new mechanics. Winnipeg, not so much, so the transition to an increasingly electric bus fleet is going to take longer. The City is likely also waiting for certain technological aspects to become more standard and for a little more advancement on the battery capacity front before increasing its commitment to electrification of the fleet. But what Transit is considering in the near-term is in the ballpark of what other cities are also considering.
Winnipeg just gets the stereotype of being "less progressive" attached to it no matter what it's doing, so it makes sense that people are going "Oh Toronto just ordered 40 electric buses that are made in Winnipeg, why aren't we doing the same?" The truth is that we're probably making the same consideration, it's just going to take longer for it to materialize due to the fiscal constraints the city faces.