BE buses continue to dominate Canada’s zero emission bus landscape

Since June 2022, the nonprofit Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) has published reports regarding the data in its ZEB (zero-emission bus) Database. The organization recently released its fifth edition of the report, which covers February to July 2024 and reflects input from 43

transit agencies across Canada. The report not only revealed a rise in ZEBs throughout the country versus the previous edition, but that battery electric (BE) buses continue to dominate the ZEB landscape.

The total number of ZEBs in various stages of deployment — from pronouncement to in-service — grew to 5,459. This represents a 10 percent increase over those reported in the fourth edition, which reflected data gathered in Q4 2023 and January 2024. However, since that edition reported an 8.9 percent decline over the third report, the number reported in the fifth edition is only slightly more than the total ZEBs reported in 2023.

Chart: KHL Staff. Data: CUTRIC/Canadian ZEB Database.

CUTRIC said the database does not address trolley buses, which draw power from overhead wires via trolley poles, school buses and similar nonrevenue-generating buses and private fleets.

BE Majority Remains

Despite Canadian transit agencies’ ongoing efforts to explore hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), BE buses remain the overwhelming majority. The 5,370 BE buses currently in some stage of deployment in Canada make up more than 98 percent of all ZEBs. The remaining 89 vehicles (1.6 percent of ZEBs) are FCEV buses.

As in the previous ZEB report, data shows Ontario and Quebec remain the top two adopters of BE buses, occupying the top two slots respectively. Ontario saw a 10 percent increase in BE bus adoption across the various stages of deployment compared to the previous report, while Quebec remained almost the same, with a decline of only two vehicles.

Battery electric (BE) bus adoption in Canada by province. (Map: KHL Staff. Data: CUTRIC/Canadian ZEB Database. Created with Datawrapper.)

Their dominance regarding BE buses makes sense, CUTRIC said, as both provinces are the most populous in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario’s 15.1 million citizens (as of July 2022) represent 38.8 percent of the total population. With 8.7 million people, Quebec comes in at 22.3 percent. Both provinces also have large urban centers, including Toronto (2.8 million people as of 2021) and Montreal (1.8 million people).

CUTRIC reported that three transit agencies in Ontario are currently conducting pilot studies involving 10 electric buses. Additionally, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) reported in September it had received the first two of what will be 340 BE buses that will arrive by the end of 2026. TTC also said in that announcement that it seeks to electrify all its operations by 2040.

Alberta and British Columbia came in third and fourth respectively in terms of BE bus adoption, and each saw increases over the previous report. Alberta jumped from 293 to 475 vehicles, which is a 62 percent increase, while British Columbia rose to 456 from 363, or about 26 percent.

Saskatchewan saw BE bus adoption jump a whopping 144 percent, rising from nine vehicles in the previous report to 22 vehicles. Newfoundland, which had previously not adopted any BE buses, took on its first such vehicle via the Happy Valley-Goose Bay municipality, which recently announced plans to buy one bus and two chargers. This leaves Nunavut and Yukon the last two territories having no electrified buses.

Seven provinces saw no change in BE bus adoption over the fourth edition of the ZEB Database, with all those having BE buses reporting fewer than 100.

Among the six stages of transition — which are pronouncement, feasibility, funding, procurement, commissioning and in-service — BE buses saw increases in pronouncement and funding, with the latter having the larger jump of about 35 percent to 1,237 vehicles. CUTRIC said this reflects the challenges many agencies have in securing the funding necessary to implement electric buses.

Compared to the previous ZEB Database, actual BE bus deployments remain unchanged at 255. CUTRIC said this highlights the slow pace of putting electric buses on the road from a practical standpoint.

FCEVs in Decline

The ZEB Database report indicates that FCEV buses have declined 11 percent over the fourth edition, dropping to 89 from 100. Their adoption by province has not changed, however. Only four provinces — Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Ontario and Alberta — have invested in the vehicles. Nova Scotia continues to make the largest investments, coming in at 47 FCEV buses (52.8 percent of the total), followed by Manitoba (20), Ontario (14) and Alberta (8). While adoption in Nova Scotia and Ontario has not changed compared to the fourth edition of the database, Manitoba saw a 39.4 percent drop in FCEV bus adoption. Alberta increased its adoption by one vehicle.

Unlike their BE bus counterparts, the majority of FCEV buses — nearly 60 percent — remain in the feasibility stage of adoption, with none in either the commissioning or in-service stages. CUTRIC said a lack of successful case studies coupled with fueling infrastructure challenges have hindered broader adoption of the vehicles.

According to CUTRIC, other challenges to FCEV bus adoption include cost. The organization said it interviewed bus makers and discovered that FCEV buses cost more than BE buses. For instance, CUTRIC said a 40-ft. FCEV bus could cost as much as $2.3 million, whereas a similarly sized BE bus might top out at $1.5 million. 

Furthermore, the number of manufacturers building FCEV buses is lacking, particularly for smaller buses, such as those 30 ft. long or less. CUTRIC reported that New Flyer is currently the sole provider of FCEV buses reported by Canadian transit agencies, compared to BE buses. Regarding the latter, suppliers include Saint-Eustache, Quebec-based Nova Bus, which is part of the Volvo Group. Nova Bus supplies 61 percent of BE buses in Canada, followed by New Flyer, which is part of Winnipeg, Manitoba-based NFI Group, at 34 percent. Proterra accounts for 3 percent of all BE buses, and Vicinity and BYD remain tied at 1 percent.

Data shows decline in zero emission bus adoption in Canada The latest data from the Canadian ZEB Database revealed a decline in zero emission bus (ZEB) adoptions across Canada since the 2023 report.

Fuel cell electric buses coming to Mississauga, Ontario The city is looking to purchase 10 fuel cell electric buses by the end of 2025.