The Toronto Transit Commission is collaborating with PowerON, BetterFleet and ABB to optimize charging for its electric bus fleet

The Toronto Transit Commission has unveiled a new smart charging management system to support its 100 electric bus fleet at the Birchmount Garage depot in Scarborough, Ont.

It is one of the largest transit fleet charging systems located at a single location in Canada.

“We are proud to be paving the way for transit electrification across North America, and bringing new, clean, quiet vehicles to customers and employees across the City of Toronto,” said Greg Percy, the (Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) interim CEO, in a press release detailing the project done in partnership with PowerON Energy, BetterFleet and ABB E-mobility.

PowerON is a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation. It is a turnkey charging solution provider and is overseeing the installation, operation and maintenance of the TTC’s bus charging system.

“By collaborating with industry leaders like BetterFleet and ABB E-mobility, we’re able to develop and implement innovative technologies tailored to our clients’ unique needs,” says Keegan Tully, CEO of PowerON Energy Solutions, in a press statement.

“This project with the TTC demonstrates…bring[ing] together the best in the industry to drive the transition to zero-emission public transit.”

PowerOn selected Australia-based intelligent solutions provider, BetterFleet, for its smart charging software, which is integrating with ABB’s charging hardware.

The project is receiving a $2.5 million grant from Natural Resources Canada’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration Program.

Charging with a management solution

According to Daniel Hilson, CEO of BetterFleet, the company’s charging management system is “really about orchestrating the depot” by aligning vehicle schedules with charging needs.

For example, the BetterFleet software prioritizes charging based on each bus’s duty schedule. This helps maintain service reliability, Hilson explains, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

The system also accounts for dynamic factors such as buses arriving with different states of charge, vehicles needing quick turnaround and potential disruptions like charger malfunctions.

Using a smart charging system means the TTC can better avoid costly in front of the meter electrical infrastructure upgrades and optimize its energy costs, while ensuring buses have reliable charging support.

Meanwhile, the ABB hardware includes a combination of overhead pantograph and ground-level plug-in chargers. Currently, these chargers are in three garages at the Birchmount Garage depot. Construction on a fourth garage is underway and there are plans to expand to eight garages in total.

The ABB chargers are designed to support sequential charging. This allows specific dispensers to receive varying power allocations rather than distributing power evenly across all chargers.

This provides greater flexibility and efficiency in managing the TTC’s power usage, says Hilson.

Toronto’s electric fleet

The use of the smart charging system allows the TTC to run its electric bus operations more efficiently. This is increasingly important with more zero-emission buses on the way.

The TTC is aiming to operate a 100 per cent zero-emission bus fleet by 2040.

In 2023, the federal government and the City of Toronto committed $700 million to help electrify the TTC’s bus fleet.

By September 2024, the first two electric buses from a 340-unit battery-electric vehicle order arrived in Toronto — joining an earlier order of 60 electric buses. The remaining 278 buses are expected to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Once the full order is received, the TTC will have a fleet of 400 electric buses — one of the largest zero-emission transit fleets in North America.