ELECTRIFYING CHANGES IN MONTREAL

Predictably, electric bus uptake is growing exponentially in metropolitan areas where emissions are a major concern.

Electric buses lend themselves perfectly to metro routes because recharging facilities are easier to provide in cities.

You can’t run an electric cable for a bus (or truck) fast charger from Cairns to Melbourne but you can run a recharging system through urban areas.

Diesel seems set to turn to dust sooner rather than later given the evolving international trend towards electric.

Montreal, Canada is the latest big city to opt for new,100 per cent electric buses servicing the streets of the former Olympic city.

The buses are Canada-built by Volvo-owned Novabus company.

The batteries and control systems are made by Volvo with 5-minute recharging via a rooftop connector.

The utilitarian looking vehicles have a seating capacity of up to 71 passengers, a power output of 308hp and about an hour’s operating time from a quick charge. Service costs are said to be low while service life is said to be long. Happy days.