Toronto officials unveil 10 new charging stations for TTC battery-electric buses

Toronto officials unveiled 10 newly commissioned overhead charging systems for the city's fleet of battery-electric buses on Friday.

The installation of the charging systems, known as pantographs, is an example of work underway to make the TTC fleet of buses greener, said Toronto Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie.

McKelvie said the pantographs are the kind of innovation that will enable the city to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the TTC has 60 battery-electric buses, known as eBuses, in its fleet.

"This new system is good news for our transit system and our environment," McKelvie said in a news release Friday. 

"Expanding the TTC's charging capacity is crucial to our plans to have a completely green fleet in the future and we won't get there without the continued co-operation and commitment of all our government partners."

The new pantographs will support overhead charging, allowing electricity to be delivered from a centralized power source to chargers mounted on top of battery-electric buses, McKelvie told reporters a news conference at the TTC's Birchmount Garage. The pantographs are part of a project that has received $5 million from the city.

With the unveiling of the pantographs, the city is celebrating Earth Day, April 22, a day early, she added.

Bem Case, executive director of innovation and sustainability for the TTC, said the pantographs are innovative because they are more efficient than older technology, take a third of the space and cost a third of the price.

Case said the overhead infrastructure has fewer "energy losses" than older chargers.

TTC plans to test new charging systems

"We are setting new standards for ourselves and for the industry by testing this new technology and determining its reliability and its performance in all operations through all seasons," Case said.

In the release, the TTC said it will evaluate the new charging systems and gather data on their reliability before it deploys the technology more broadly.

Michelle Jones, head of renewable energy programs for the TTC, said the unveiling of the pantographs is important because it means the transit agency has moved from plug-in charging to overhead technology.

"It's definitely a big day for us," she said. "This is great to see the next step in our journey."

Jones said the units take up a lot less space, which matters because every bit of space that the charging systems occupy displaces buses.

The TTC said the charging systems mark the first phase of an agreement between the TTC and PowerON Energy Solutions, an Ontario Power Generation subsidiary. 

Under the agreement, PowerON designs, builds, invests in, owns and operates charging infrastructure to electrify the TTC's bus fleet and facilities.

"The Birchmount Garage system sets the stage for broader transit electrification in Toronto and beyond," PowerON Managing Director Keegan Tully said in the release.

The TTC said it plans to convert its bus fleet to 100 per cent zero emissions by 2040 or sooner.