THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Thunder Bay, along with twelve other municipalities in Ontario, is participating in a study that will develop information resources and implement a roadmap for the transition to electric vehicles.
The study, coordinated by the Metrolinx Transit Procurement Initiative, will be carried out by the engineering firm HDR.
“The City of Thunder Bay took a lead role in this process with Metrolinx by having a representative on both the committee to develop the procurement document and then the final evaluation,’ states Gerry Broere, Director of Facilities, Fleet & Energy Management. “In addition to transit electrification, we will be including a review of the entire corporate fleet to investigate near term opportunities for electrification. The 2022 Capital Budget includes funding for this these two initiatives.”
Metrolinx works with transit agencies to help buy buses and transit-related goods with the benefits of bulk pricing, procurement efficiency and shared expertise.
“The study is being undertaken because transitioning to electric fleets must not only the purchase of zero-emission vehicles, but also reflect maintenance, storage, and charging requirements,” adds Broere. “The study will provide Thunder Bay with a customized report and plan for preparing for electric vehicles.”
The study will also assess the impact on the local energy grid maintained by Synergy North.
City Administration has submitted two funding applications to offset the cost of the implementation plans (Zero Emissions Bus fund & ICIP Transit Stream). Developing a fleet of electric vehicles will also help meet the targets in the EarthCare Thunder Bay Net-Zero Plan. Work on the study is expected to begin this summer.
