Grant: Alliance Grants

The Government of Canada plans to switch public transit systems to cleaner electric power, including supporting the purchase of 5000 zero-emission buses in the next five years. Such plans will create green transportation in Canadian cities that does not emit toxic gasses which impact the environment and human health. On the other hand, Canadian municipalities and utility companies need tools that provide them with a sound analysis of the technical, economic, and environmental challenges that might affect the implementation of clean transit systems. First, the driving range of an electric bus is much shorter than the diesel counterpart, therefore, several charging stations must be carefully placed to ensure uninterrupted operation of the transit service. However, it is not trivial to decide on the number and location of these charging stations without estimating the energy consumption of an electric bus. Second, the introduction of electric buses adds an extra load to the electric distribution grid and will change the power flow in the grid; and hence, requires mechanisms to analyze the impact on the grid and recommend measures to respond to the increased load. To address the above challenges, in this research project we propose to work with Synergy North, BluWave-ai, and the City of Thunder Bay to design a state-of-art AI data-driven simulation platform that provides comprehensive decision support that eventually will accelerate the adoption of the green transit system in Thunder Bay. Concerning social benefits, the adoption of an electric transit system in Northwestern Ontario will not only reduce green gas emissions (~ 40%) but also improve local air quality and associated health benefits. Furthermore, the cost reduction (~50%) of the operation and maintenance of electric buses compared to diesel buses will benefit the City's economy. These savings can be invested back locally to drive municipal economic development and growth over time leading to the creation of more job opportunities and a fast recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.