In this series of articles, Propulsion Québec looks back on the 2nd edition of the International Forum on Fleet Management IMPULSION MTL, which took place in the form of 5 virtual events, from October 27, 2020 to April 27, 2021. This unique event in Quebec brings together professionals and suppliers around a common goal: to renew vehicle fleets through new technologies and solutions available on the market in order to meet environmental, social, operational and regulatory requirements.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Propulsion Québec chose to completely rethink the presentation format of this event into virtual form, proposing 5 events each focusing on a unique theme. A look back at the March 16, 2021 event, focused on innovative electrification models in a context of new mobilities, of the 2nd edition of the IMPULSION MTL Forum.
This 4th event in a series of 5 began with the presence of the Minister Delegate for Transport and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region, Ms. Chantal Rouleau, who addressed the participants highlighting the importance of showcasing Quebec's many assets to make it a world leader in transport electrification. She reiterated the Quebec government's desire that 1.5 million electric vehicles be on our roads by 2030.
Electrification projects in cities
All panelists agreed that it is important, even essential, to work in collaboration with companies, businesses, and the different municipal departments to set up electrification projects and charging infrastructure in cities.
Electric vehicles and charging infrastructure must be easy to use and accessible, incentives must be offered to citizens and education must be emphasized among the population, even children, in order to form a future generation aware of the importance of promoting green mobility to reduce GHGs and protect the environment.
The panel moderator, Maddy Ewing, Analyst, Transportation and Urban Solutions, at the Pembina Institute, also mentioned that cities with a greater number of charging stations on their territory have the most electric vehicles on their roads.
Joey Leckman, Councillor at the City of Prévost, explained that the municipality implemented a Green Plan when he arrived three years ago. According to him, it is important to offer enough charging stations to reduce user anxiety, as they are sometimes reluctant to use electric vehicles for fear of not being able to recharge in time.
Paul MacLatchy, Director, Environment at the City of Kingston, and his team are actively working on the development of different initiatives to reach the zero GHG emissions target. A large network of charging stations is currently being deployed and this requires re-evaluating the charging capacity of their facilities.
Fraser Critchton, Director of Operations, Fleet, and Development at the City of Dundee, a city of 150,000 inhabitants, says their municipal vehicle fleet is now made up of 35% electric vehicles. According to him, the key to successful transport electrification lies in public awareness and properly informing them. "We must explain to them why we are doing it and, above all, why it is important to do it. We must even educate the children: this next generation must be made aware now," he says.
Stephen Koskoletos, Sales Director, Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure at ABB Canada believes that we should focus on the user experience. By making everything attractive and pleasant to use, it will be easier to integrate the reflex of electric transport into daily life.
Finally, Pierre Gabriel Côté, Quebec's Delegate General in London at the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie, reiterated Quebec's key role in transport electrification, a "global success story" according to him. Success depends on incentives and on targets to be reached!
Innovative Vehicle Institute (IVI): a winning recipe to electrify your vehicle fleet?
There is no miracle recipe to electrify your vehicle fleet: no ready-made copy/paste formula can be used, since each approach must be personalized according to your situation.
However, Charles Trudel, Project Manager at the Innovative Vehicle Institute, shared different approaches to consider for those thinking of electrifying their vehicle fleet:
- Consider the importance of telematics ;
- Incorporate the charging strategy into vehicle selection ;
- Plan training so employees understand and properly operate the technology ;
- Integrate employees into the electrification process before technological implementation ;
- Anticipate the processes for implementing charging.
The Innovative Vehicle Institute has completed more than 300 innovative projects over 5 years. It offers a guide for the electrification of a vehicle fleet to learn more about the subject.
To find charging locations near your business, visit https://chargehub.com/.
Transformation of urban delivery
The COVID-19 health crisis pushed many companies to rethink their urban delivery solutions and helped accelerate the use of already existing innovative transport solutions, such as cargo bikes or low-speed vehicles (LSVs).
The companies Courant.Plus and Decathlon Canada recently joined forces to offer an eco-responsible delivery service in greater Montreal. Courant.Plus's fleet of electric cargo bikes delivers Decathlon parcels to Montrealers, and does so without polluting. This partnership illustrates the importance of collaboration between major industry players and innovative start-ups to offer consumers a green and fast solution.
Purolator, for its part, has integrated a follower robot that optimizes a courier's productivity in urban environments, as well as low-speed vehicles (LSVs) to replace gasoline trucks. The company also collaborated with CAPSolar to optimize charging and the range of their electric trucks.
Electrification and future mobility
The pandemic has also necessarily brought its share of changes in the use of electric transport and shared mobility. The invited panelists agreed that by combining the different transport options we can compete with the private car.
Here are some recommendations from experts to mobilize citizens towards electric mobility :
- Offer options: freedom is the KEY according to Communauto ;
- Raise awareness and educate the population, especially children. It is proven that children are calmer in a transport like the 100% electric bus from Lion Electric, and that GHG emissions have an impact on the development of their lungs, not to mention the major impacts on the environment ;
- Develop the reflex of public transport use, the use of electric bicycles like those of BIXI Montreal, which hits many sensitive chords: ecological, economical, efficient and pleasant ;
- Offer shared mobility options in regions.
Propulsion Québec wishes to thank all partners for their involvement in the success of this major event for the electric and smart transport ecosystem in Quebec: the Government of Quebec, Québecor, AttriX integrated partner Geotab, Hydro-Québec, Effenco, ABB Canada, FLO, The Lion Electric Company, Boivin Evolution, and our partner cities: the City of Montreal, the City of New York – Department of Citywide Administrative Services (NYC DCAS), the City of Chicago and the City of Philadelphia.
Cover image: Raphaël Thibodeau
