Technical Advisor for Electric Bus and Infrastructure Loans

Helping transit agencies accelerate bus purchases to curb greenhouse gas emissions

Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB) | York, Ontario, Canada | 2022-2023

Each vehiclecan save agencies $50,000/yearfrom lower maintenance and electricity prices

Dozens of transit authoritiesfrom coast to coast are making the switch from diesel

Initial cost for quiet electric transit busescan be 2x or 3x the fossil-fuel powered versions

Challenges

  • Canadian bus manufacturers need to keep up with the growing demand for electric buses amid a concerted national effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is helping municipalities and school boards to accelerate bus purchases by providing loans to bus operators.
  • The CIB was looking for technical advisors to review York Region Transit’s (YRT) application for a loan to procure zero emission buses and infrastructure
  • YRT had completed extensive feasibility studies to evaluate both hydrogen and battery electric technologies to operate its bus system. The agency ultimately decided to proceed with battery electric as the technology of choice.

Solutions

  • Reviewed hundreds of pages of technical reports and provided guidance to the CIB on whether the agency had done its due diligence with respect to technology evaluation.
  • Participated in extensive financial analyses, reviewing YRT’s actual capital and operational cost data to assist the CIB in generating cost projections to operate zero emission vehicles for the coming decades.

Highlights

  • Leveraged our technical expertise to review YRT's application and provide the CIB with a comprehensive outlook on the proposed plan, ensuring due diligence and defining potential, long-term cost savings.
  • The document review included projections on emissions reductions, infrastructure upgrades, and maintenance requirements associated with zero emission technologies.
  • Positions the CIB to capitalize on benefits of e-buses as they are expected to grow as purchase prices move to parity within the decade with expected decreases of battery costs.
  • The operational and maintenance benefits of electric buses are projected to exceed the initial capital costs of the buses and assist YRT in repaying the loan to the CIB.

Project numbers

180electric buses

105chargers

$50,000/year potential savings per vehicle

Services & technologies provided

Rail & Transit Systems

Advisory Services

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