Montreal transit buses to go electric

The Montreal Transit Corporation says it will have a fully electric fleet of buses by 2025.

The goal is to help reduce the impact on the environment, Montreal Transit Corporation (STM) executive director of operations Carl Desrosiers said Friday.

"It's not achievable today because technology is not [there yet], but it will be achievable by 2025," he told CBC News.

The STM plans to start testing the buses within two years to see whether they can stand up to Montreal's winters. 

Desrosiers says the buses are best suited for short trips. The electric buses would likely need to recharge for five to 10 minutes after each 10 to 15 kilometre-long trip, he said.

It is still unclear how much the electric buses would cost, but Desrosiers said in the long term they would ultimately pay for themselves with the savings in fuel consumption.

The plan would eliminate the need for the 50 million litres of diesel burned each year by the STM's current fleet of 1,600 buses, he said.

In the meantime, STM vice-president Marvin Rotrand said the city is committed to increasing the number of hybrid buses in its fleet.

"We see the future of our fleet as being green in the short and medium term and greener in the long term, " said Rotrand.