TTC: Electric and alternative fuel buses

[T3G]

They might as well throw the money in the Hudson River.

Call me crazy, but I reckon the MTA probably has their reasons for looking in on these buses. How can they possibly know that it would be better to throw the money in the Hudson River until they've run their trials and figured out whether the buses are worth a damn?

There's not a lot of competition in the North American transit market. Having challengers to force New Flyer and Nova to innovate can only be a good thing. Perhaps Nova especially can learn what it means to equip their buses with suspensions.

 

[Bordercollie]

Call me crazy, but I reckon the MTA probably has their reasons for looking in on these buses. How can they possibly know that it would be better to throw the money in the Hudson River until they've run their trials and figured out whether the buses are worth a damn?

There's not a lot of competition in the North American transit market. Having challengers to force New Flyer and Nova to innovate can only be a good thing. Perhaps Nova especially can learn what it means to equip their buses with suspensions.

Look at Proterra. They couldn't get their act together and now basically NOVA and Proterra are owned by the same company. Do you think a small startup can ramp up and become successful? Seems to me like it's a tough pill to swallow.

 

[T3G]

Small start up???? Solaris has been in the business since 1999. Their stuff is running in many major cities in Europe.

 

[APTA-2048]

They couldn't get their act together and now basically NOVA and Proterra are owned by the same company.

This is not the case. Volvo only bought the battery unit. Everything else belongs to someone else.

 

[Bordercollie]

Small start up???? Solaris has been in the business since 1999. Their stuff is running in many major cities in Europe.

Yeah and you can say the same thing about BYD and we all know how that turned out.

 

[T3G]

Apart from BYD being a different company, how would we have known how it would turn out with them, until we trialled the BYD buses here?

That's the whole point of a trial. If the MTA doesn't like the buses, they can sell them off or scrap them. It's not a big deal. It's hardly the first time the MTA has trialled unknown products: https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Metropolitan_Transportation_Authority_demonstrator_bus_fleet

Without taking a chance on something new, how can you possibly hope to move forward? Orion and Nova and New Flyer were all unknown quantities at one point.

 

[drum118]

Why would they sole source a unproven product?

Who says it's an unproven product considering they are used by numerous systems in Europe?? There are more suppliers in Europe than NA.

New Flyer and Gillig are the main suppliers in the US with BYD pulling up the rear for battery power buses. Pittsburgh is Gillig for 40' buses with New Flyer for 60', yet they have only have New Flyer XE40's in the fleet.

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

First time seeing the TTC’s New Flyer hybrid artic:

 

[smallspy]

First time seeing the TTC’s New Flyer hybrid artic:

View attachment 554872

View attachment 554874

There were a number of issues that required the units getting some rework prior to entering service, but that has now been completed and the first dozen or so are all in service out of McNicoll Garage.

Dan

 

[APTA-2048]

Not for the TTC, but still in Toronto. The Island Airport will be getting six battery-electric midibuses (28-30 foot) for their shuttle.

Electric Shuttle Buses Coming to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) in 2023

/CNW/ - Nieuport Aviation, along with shuttle bus service provider TOK Group, announced today an order for six (6) Vicinity Lightning™ electric buses. This...

www.newswire.ca

So it appears they may be finally getting their buses. There’s a Vicinty Lightning with the airport lettering at this year’s OTE trade show.

 

[futurebound]

So it appears they may be finally getting their buses. There’s a Vicinty Lightning with the airport lettering at this year’s OTE trade show.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1782435229312893432

 

[APTA-2048]

First new electric bus being finished

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[dowlingm]

Is New Flyer Winnipeg too busy to make these, or is the Minnesota plant their sole full-electric production facility at present?

 

[TRONto]

First new electric bus being finished

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Has there been any discussion of which routes the 340 eBuses will run? I can't wait for these quieter and no pollution buses on the street

 

[APTA-2048]

Is New Flyer Winnipeg too busy to make these, or is the Minnesota plant their sole full-electric production facility at present?

I believe the arrangement is similar to how Orion Bus operated. Manufacturing begins in Canada and is completed in the US and then shipped back to Canada.

Has there been any discussion of which routes the 340 eBuses will run? I can't wait for these quieter and no pollution buses on the street

I haven’t heard where they’re going specifically, but other garages like Malvern have started the very early process of adding charging infrastructure.