Wilson’s Transportation has announced it is launching a three month electric bus pilot project on one of its routes on Vancouver Island.
Starting on Earth Day today, the company will be using a BYD Canada Model C8M electric bus on its Vancouver Island Connector Victoria-Nanaimo route. Despite lower traffic and revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson’s chief executive still hopes they can transition to a zero-emission fleet.
“It has always been our company’s plan to reduce our emissions and footprint, however, with the setback we have experienced through COVID, the high cost of replacing our fleet with electric vehicles seemed out of reach. This new partnership allows both companies to help do our part towards a sustainable future,” he said in a press release.
The electric bus sells for $599,000 CAD and can hold up to 41 passengers. It is powered by a massive 313kWh battery that will give it enough range to complete the daily 220km round trip.
Wilson’s will use an existing charging station in Victoria to keep the bus powered. The company hopes to install another charging station in Nanaimo to extend their service coverage further up island.
