Electrifying school bus fleets : Implementing the pilot project and phase-in

In this series of articles, we demystify the key steps of converting your school bus fleet to electric power thanks to the Transporteur+ guide. This guide aims to provide easy and direct access to resources to clarify the steps, issues, conditions and facilitating measures for a successful transition to electrification.

Published on 14 August 2023 Propulsion Québec Article

After properly planning your school bus electrification project and choosing your supplier, it is time to implement your pilot project. The phased integration of electric vehicles reduces operational risks considerably, allowing you to identify and correct transition-related issues as they arise, without impacting your services.   This allows you to gradually become familiar with new technologies associated with electric vehicles, charging systems and the various after-sales services available. Discover how to properly plan your pilot project in this blog article. 

The implementation of a pilot project and the phased integration of electric vehicles is a key step in your school bus electrification project. This allows you to identify the operational best practices to adopt based on your needs with respect to distances traveled, weather conditions, types of roads, etc. Following this first phase, a post-mortem analysis is recommended to identify areas for improvement when integrating future electric buses. This analysis should take place six to ten months after the electric buses are commissioned and include a winter use period to validate all system components under extreme use conditions, as well as recommendations for future deployments. 

If you have a fleet of more than ten vehicles, a pilot project replacing 10% to 15% of your fleet with electric buses will allow you to achieve the above-mentioned objectives. If you have a fleet of ten vehicles or less, it is recommended that the vehicles be gradually integrated in phases, starting with one or two electric buses and their charging equipment in the first phase. 

To find out more, see the Transporteur+ website and the Transporteur+ guide. 
 

This project was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Quebec, the Trottier Family Foundation, the Greater Montreal Climate Fund and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ. Propulsion Québec would also like to thank The Transition Accelerator and the WSP Canada team for their critical contributions, as well as all the experts involved in the development of this guide.   

Continue reading on the subject

Article 9 February 2024

Energy efficiency: Financial support to put your ideas into action

Leading a company involves balancing several priorities at the same time. Energy efficiency? It’s an important issue—one of many! What if we gave you what you need to make energy efficiency a driving force behind your company’s performance and profitability? The good news is, Hydro-Québec offers financial assistance and guidance to help you balance performance and energy efficiency.

Read more
Article 31 October 2023

My Consumption Profile: data that lets you strategically manage your electricity use

Companies have a critical role to play in the energy transition. Knowing that energy efficiency factors big into profitability, your organization will benefit from strategically managing its electricity use. The key? Your data!

Read more
Article 27 October 2023

Electrifying school bus fleets : Grants available to support your project

In this series of articles, we demystify the key steps of converting your school bus fleet to electric power thanks to the Transporteur+ guide. This guide aims to provide easy and direct access to resources to clarify the steps, issues, conditions and facilitating measures for a successful transition to electrification.

Read more
Article 10 October 2023

Electrifying school bus fleets | Key step : Comissioning

In this series of articles, we demystify the key steps of converting your school bus fleet to electric power thanks to the Transporteur+ guide. This guide aims to provide easy and direct access to resources to clarify the steps, issues, conditions and facilitating measures for a successful transition to electrification.

Read more
Article 26 September 2023

Demand response: Save money by using hydro at the right times

If you could lower your company's hydro bill while contributing to the collective effort to support Quebec’s energy transition, would you? Yes, most likely! How? By curbing power demand for buildings and equipment during peak demand events. 

Read more
Studies and reports 21 September 2023
Article 15 September 2023

Electrifying school bus fleets : The importance of adapting buildings and infrastructure

In this series of articles, we demystify the key steps of converting your school bus fleet to electric power thanks to the Transporteur+ guide. This guide aims to provide easy and direct access to resources to clarify the steps, issues, conditions and facilitating measures for a successful transition to electrification.

Read more
Program 14 August 2023

Defence and Security

The Electric and Smart Transportation (EST) positioning program for D&S is a project that will ultimately allow Propulsion Québec members to tailor their product and service offering to multiple D&S markets, facilitating the transition to electric and smart vehicle fleets and infrastructure.

Read more
Article 26 July 2023

Electrifying school bus fleets: The importance of choosing your suppliers

In this series of articles, we demystify the key steps of converting your school bus fleet to electric power thanks to the Transporteur+ guide. This guide aims to provide easy and direct access to resources to clarify the steps, issues, conditions and facilitating measures for a successful transition to electrification.

Read more
Article 28 June 2023

The key to a successful school bus fleet electrification project

In this series of articles, we demystify the key steps of converting your school bus fleet to electric power thanks to the Transporteur+ guide. This guide aims to provide easy and direct access to resources to clarify the steps, issues, conditions and facilitating measures for a successful transition to electrification.

Read more
Program 31 May 2023

Transition+

Tracer la voie aux pionniers québécois pour la transition électrique des transports

Read more
Article 26 April 2023

FLO®: sparking change, one charge at a time

FLO became a leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging in North America by integrating the process from start to finish: manufacturing charging stations, developing software and managing its network. To stay ahead of the curve in a fast-moving, innovation-driven market, the company turned to the Fonds de solidarité FTQ to support its growth.

Read more