Electrifying school bus fleets | Key step : Comissioning

Published on 10 October 2023 Propulsion Québec Article

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.

Once the vehicles and charging solution are selected, it’s important to coordinate delivery so you can get your bus fleet up and running as soon as possible. We also recommend you ensure all charging stations are in place several months before the buses arrive. Read this blog article to learn more.

Your bus fleet electrification project is on track! Your infrastructure is delivered, in place, and ready for the vehicles. At this stage, it’s important to run a series of tests to ensure your electric buses are working properly. Be sure to allow several weeks for adjustments, especially on your first bus order. While buses are thoroughly tested before leaving the manufacturer, you should test them as well.

First-time buyers should get acquainted with this new technology by:

  • Setting up and testing the data collection system
  • Adopting new preventive and corrective maintenance procedures for everyday tasks, tools, and vehicle storage
  • Ensuring mechanics, drivers, and other staff are well trained to maintain and operate an electric fleet (vehicles, charging, data collection, processing systems, etc.)

While there are currently no standardized tests, we recommend you make several routine trips before carrying passengers. If in doubt, contact your manufacturer as soon as possible.

Establish a broad timeline

To help you get started, it’s a good idea to draw up a broad timeline for the key steps involved in commissioning your project. This will vary based on supply chain lead times, your project specifications and scale, etc. Some steps will also be unnecessary for smaller fleets. You can find a sample timeline on page 44 of the Transporteur+ guide.

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. 

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