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Town of Milton first in Canada to convert old diesel bus to electric

A pilot project in Milton aims to convert one of the town’s buses from diesel to electric. The Town of Milton is teaming up with a local company, MTB Transit Solutions, to make the conversion happen. This will be the first transition of its kind in Canada.

Tony D’Alessandro from Transit Services says the town is pioneering this move, as the conversion process itself is a first in Canada and will help Milton decide if this change should be spread to the entire bus fleet.

D’Alessandro says, “It’s really going to give us a lot of information about metrics, how much diesel we’re saving, about how much Greenhouse gas emission reductions we’ll be seeing, what the maintenance costs going to look like?” D’Alessandro says it will move the city closer to its environmental sustainability goals.

Statistics Canada says a quarter of Canada’s Greenhouse gas emissions come from vehicles like diesel buses. Milton says switching a bus from diesel to electric could cut more than 51,000 kilograms of emissions over six years.

MTB Transit president Gara Hay says the conversion will take about six months and all the resources used are Canadian. “We take out the diesel engine, we take out the transmission, we take out the radiator and replace it with a much smaller electric motor and put batteries placed around the bus.”

When it comes to the rider experience, the electric bus is said to be a more comfortable ride with less noise and less vibration. The city expects the total process of the project to cost about $900,000 which factors in charging units, vehicle components and training.

Hay says, “We think there’s a good market potential to convert other forms of transportation like a school bus, a mining vehicle, maybe a garbage truck in the future.”

The switch will be done by the end of the year and the bus is expected to hit the road in early 2024.

A Canadian first, Milton Transit diesel bus being converted to electric power
Microgreen Energy and MTB to integrate transit bus EV storage system

Microgreen Energy and MTB to integrate transit bus EV storage system

With funding from the Government of Ontario through OVIN, the project aims to extend Ontario’s EV supply chain to include bus-scale battery packs

TORONTO, DECEMBER 19, 2022 – Microgreen Energy and MTB Transit Solutions are pleased to announce their collaboration in developing a dedicated bus-scale lithium battery system, supported by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), an initiative of the Government of Ontario, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), to provide a made-in-Ontario solution for electric transit buses.

The objective of this joint project is to extend Microgreen’s lithium battery integration expertise into the growing electric transit bus segment, and to leverage MTB’s scale and experience in refurbishing diesel transit buses to establish a cost-effective alternative platform that combines an extended-life chassis with a latest technology clean-energy propulsion system.

“Our government is proud to support collaborations between businesses like Microgreen Energy and MTB Transit Solutions, who are developing clean energy options for electric transit buses,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “This innovative joint project will have a positive impact on the growing electric transit bus sector, while also ensuring Ontario remains a global leader in the auto and EV sector.

“Our government understands that transit bus electrification is no longer just a pilot-scale undertaking,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs. Along with the historic investments our government is making in building the vehicles and transit infrastructure of the future, we are proud to support the development of the supply chain feeding next-generation transportation technology that will transform the way we travel while furthering our position as a leader in the automotive technology space.

Ontario has more than 300 companies and organizations pioneering connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.

About Microgreen:
Microgreen is a developer and manufacturer of lithium battery solutions. With over 10 years’ experience in the technological development and supply of lithium batteries, our products provide energy storage for residential and industrial settings, onboard power for recreational vehicles and marine craft, backup power for telecom, and battery packs for electric vehicles.

About MTB:
MTB Transit Solutions of Milton, Ontario has been working with transit authorities across Canada for 45+ years to keep their buses running smoothly. With transit authorities recent move from diesel to battery electric power, MTB has created a new initiative called ZEV Clean Power (ZEV) to help transit operators reach their GHG reduction goals sooner. By taking a mid-life diesel bus and converting the propulsion to battery electric, ZEV will help improve the quality of air in communities and allow transit operators to save considerable operating dollars due to lower costs of fuel and maintenance gained from the conversion.

About the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN):
OVIN is an initiative of the Government of Ontario, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), designed to reinforce Ontario’s position as a North American leader in advanced automotive technology and smart mobility solutions such as connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and electric and low-carbon vehicle technologies. Through resources such as research and development (R&D) support, talent and skills development, technology acceleration, business and technical supports, and demonstration grounds, OVIN provides a competitive advantage to Ontario-made automotive and mobility technology companies. For more information visit, www.ovinhub.ca

For More Information:
Lewis Reford, lewis@microgeen.ca, +1 647-699-0420 www.microgreen.ca
Gara Hay, gara@m-t-b.com, +1 647-951-4952 www.mtbtransitsolutions.com
Alicia Pereira, apereira@oc-innovation.ca , www.oc-innovation.ca

ZEV Clean Power Project
MTB Transit Solutions is excited to announce the completion of our ZEV Clean Power bus that has been converted from diesel propulsion to battery electric. The bus is great for the environment and more economical to operate than a diesel bus.
Niagara Transit RFP Award
MTB Transit Solutions is pleased to announce the award to perform mid-life refurbishment of Niagara Transit’s Nova buses!

MTB will complete full exterior and interior refurbishment along with upgrades to four of their 2009 Nova heavy duty transit buses.

This will provide Niagara Transit with buses to supply services to their customers until the end of their useful life.

Learn more about our services and what we can do for your transit fleet at mtbtransitsolutions.com/services
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