Intelligent Electric Bus Charging

Lead Proponent

Toronto Transit Commission

Project Background

The objective of this project was to develop an intelligent electric bus smart charging platform that enables transit authorities to maximize the number of deployed electric buses at respective garage facilities while minimizing electrical service upgrade costs.

The project goal was to develop a dynamic energy management system that optimizes energy flows from the electricity grid to TTC’s energy assets including bus depots, vehicle charging infrastructure, battery storage and electric buses. The integrated system is intended to reduce TTC’s overall energy costs.

Results

This project delivered a system to manage peak demand, reduce GHG emissions and overall infrastructure costs while optimizing electric bus utilization.

More importantly, the project has demonstrated that with proper planning, the transition of heavy-duty fleet vehicles from internal combustion engines to battery electric can be done cost effectively.

Benefits to Canada

The project has provided a blueprint for transit agencies and utilities in the pursuit of large-scale transit electrification. Canadians and transit users benefit from a cleaner and more efficient transportation system.

Next Steps

TTC plans on rolling out the EMS at additional transit depots as more electric buses are added to their transit fleet. In addition, through the EMS’ machine learning capabilities, asset and energy management capabilities will continue to be optimized to reduce costs and enhance operational capacity.