STM receives first electric bus
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) took delivery of a first-series long-range electric bus at its Stinson bus garage. The vehicle is the first of 30 manufactured by New Flyer of America Inc. with the remaining 29 expected to be delivered starting in June 2020. The bus will enter a test phase as STM moves toward its goal of acquiring only electric buses by 2025.
The bus will be instrumented with various devices during the next few weeks that will allow real-time monitoring and analysis of the performance of several key vehicle parameters, such as power consumption, battery charging level, deployed power, acceleration profiles, traction and braking in snow, slope capability and operation of the various systems (iBus, access ramp, heating, ventilation, etc.).
The bus is equipped with 440-kWh Li-NMC batteries that carry an expected range of approximately 250 km (approximately 155 miles), which STM says is appropriate for the reality of its network. The vehicle can be recharged via inverted pantographs installed at the Stinson bus garage or by using a standard nozzle for electric road vehicles. Inside, the bus will be air conditioned and has space for two wheelchairs.
"The STM’s goal is to acquire only electric buses by 2025 and our shift is well underway. In 2020, 38 vehicles of various types and using different charging modes will be put into service and added to our three fast-charging buses operated under the City Mobility project. Our shift toward electrification is therefore very concrete," said Luc Tremblay, STM chief executive officer.
The 30-vehicle order STM placed with New Flyer is part of a joint tender with Société de transport de Laval (STL), which acquired 10 buses of the same type. STL received the first of its electric buses in mid-August. Teams from both service providers will continue to work together on trials conducted on their respective first-series buses.
STM’s bus will begin first test phases with sandbags being used to simulate different load levels. STM says this test period is a key step in validating the bus’s compliance with specifications and providing its integration into the network, as the Montréal service provider’s teams will have the chance to train on this vehicle and familiarize themselves with it, while ensuring a satisfactory performance level upstream of the entire order delivery process.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
