A city bus drives past a gas station sign in the city's Southwest Industrial area on Thursday afternoon.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The city’s bus fleet that famously switched to run on natural gas several years ago could go at least partly electric in the next round of replacements, city officials say, but only when the price is right.
This week Ottawa announced $16 billion in new funding to help move major transit projects forward and also help cities switch to “cleaner electrical power” in vehicle purchasing and the cost of charging infrastructure.
Medicine Hat fleet officials are evaluating that grant program along with EVs in general, but also total costs of adding another fuel type to the mix.
“We are looking at all fuel options when it comes to replacement vehicles,” said Justin Brunelle, the city’s manager of fleet services.
“We will be looking more and more at electric vehicles … We would be taking into consideration both the capital and operational cost of the assets, as well as environmental impacts such as emission and noise, and the need for additional infrastructure.”
Delaying any decision is the fact the city isn’t planning any end-of-service replacement purchases of large buses for the next five years.
The city began buying buses with compressed natural gas engines and upgrades in 2014 to replace older diesel units that came up for scheduled retirement.
Last year, it bought a mix of 11 natural gas and diesel buses as a contingency in case the city’s 10th Avenue SW CNG fuelling station – the only one in the region – went out of service. In total the cost of switching buses and garbage trucks as well as building the station and garage upgrades, was $6.5 million.
Since then the low cost of natural gas compared to gasoline and diesel has proved a money saver in high-mileage vehicles, reducing fuel costs in a per-kilometre comparison by 15 per cent. Carbon pricing, charged on both fuel types, doesn’t affect the comparison, but wouldn’t be charged on power, which is also increasingly favoured in grant programs as the lowest-emission fuel of choice.
Adding to costs of implementing an EV fleet however, would be the need for fast-charging stations, said Brunelle. Accommodating large numbers of large vehicles, which need time to recharge, would add upfront costs, said Brunelle.
New grant money from Ottawa involves $5.9 billion in stimulus funds available in 2021 for major projects, transitioning to lower-emission vehicles or rural transportation networks.
A further $3 billion per year nationally, starting in 2026, would be earmarked for transit, though subject agreements still need to be worked out with provincial governments.
The 2023-2027 city budget, including fleet purchases, will be determined next year, following this fall’s municipal election.
No new large bus replacements are needed until the end of that time frame, said Brunelle, but smaller electric vehicles are being added where prudent.
Last year the city used partial grants to purchase two electric ice-cleaners for use in city arenas, an electric golf-cart for operations at the Gas City Campground and other small equipment.
Two electric SUVs will go into operation this spring, but Brunelle said his office is watching what will be offered in coming years from major manufacturers.
There is a specific focus on light-duty trucks, which are the most common vehicle in the city’s fleet.
The department also has a policy preferring a more uniform fleet and fewer different models to reduce maintenance costs and arts inventory.
A substantial switch would also likely require high capacity power lines for charging, an issue planners dealt with on the CNG station project.
Rather than run a new high-pressure gas pipeline to the fleet garage facility on Kipling Street, they built near the Medicine Hat Airport.
In 2012 the city began exploring the idea of transitioning some vehicles to operate on CNG fuel in certain instances.
Related:
City scales back CNG transit plans —
