After agreeing to purchase 15 new Nova Bus LFSe+ battery-electric buses last year, TransLink is beginning to test a demo bus provided by Nova Bus.
The demo bus will allow the transit commission to test various components and potentially request modifications to the buses before they arrive.
The testing is looking at three specific areas.
Distance
As per their spec sheet, the new Nova Bus should be able to travel over 150 km on a single charge. The testing will ensure this is accurate in both summer and winter conditions. TransLink currently has two previous-generation Nova Bus’s that can travel roughly 40 km on a single charge.
Charging
The demo buses will also test the current fast-charge stations TransLink has set up. These fast-charge stations allow for top-ups in under six minutes. In addition, the fast chargers allow for passengers to be onboard during charging. The test will ensure that the new buses are operable with these chargers and meet or exceed the previous generation Nova Bus’s that are currently in operation.
Operability in winter
Finally, TransLink wants to see the effect of inclement winter weather on these new buses. The testing will allow TransLink to know the vehicle efficiency, start-up, acceleration capacity and charging speeds during the colder months.
TransLink plans to replace over 400 diesel buses with EV buses by 2030. So, this testing is a smart choice and will ensure the TransLink fleet is set up for long-term success.
