The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division is participating in a groundbreaking electric bus pilot project. The initiative aims to gather data on electric buses’ performance during the harsh Saskatchewan winter. The project came to fruition after discussions with Western Canadian Bus Sales, a Regina-based bus supplier, reports the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
The electric bus, arriving from Michigan, has been inspected and modified for the Canadian province’s road conditions. Some minor changes are still required before it can start transporting students. The charging station setup and relevant training are still in progress, but the school division eagerly anticipates the bus’s deployment.
Once operational, the electric bus will transport Red Wing School students north of Prince Albert, with the charging station located in the city. The selected route is long enough to provide valuable data without straining the battery. Saskatchewan has cold winters and this freezing weather affects the range on electric vehicles, and will likely also impact this bus.
The pilot project will provide Saskatchewan Rivers School Division with essential experience in managing electric buses while offering Western Canadian Bus Sales real-world data on the bus’s performance. The project’s findings could help inform future discussions on adopting electric school buses within Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, as both an urban and rural division, can provide crucial knowledge to organizations such as the Saskatchewan School Boards Association or Saskatchewan Teachers Federation.
Electric school buses are nothing new, but this is the first time it’s being piloted in Saskatchewan.
Most EVs are able to handle winter weather without issues aside from diminished range. We recently heard the story of a man driving his Model Y to the Arctic Ocean, as part of a documentary.
