Excess power from SkyTrain and trolleys could be used to charge vehicles

Excess electricity from SkyTrain and trolley bus could be used to charge electric vehicles

TransLink's first new Nova LFSEe+ electric-battery bus being charged at the bus loop at SkyTrain 22nd Street Station. (TransLink)

Metro Vancouver already has an extensive all-electric network for major portions of its public transit system, and the possibility is now being explored to make it even greener.

TransLink announced today it will conduct a new study into using excess electricity generated by the SkyTrain and trolley bus networks to charge vehicles. If the study shows this is feasible, the public transit authority could potentially install more transit vehicle chargers at SkyTrain stations or bus exchanges.

Over the coming years, TransLink will be shifting to electric-battery vehicles for its future replacements and expansions of the bus fleet. The electric-battery bus fleet will grow exponentially to 155 vehicles by 2025 and then to over 400 vehicles by 2030.

With the electrification of the bus fleet, significant investments need to be made in new charging, maintenance, and storage for the unique needs of electric-battery buses.

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This idea was chosen from the public transit authority’s 2022 Open Call for Innovation, which is a program first launched in 2018 that seeks ideas from individuals, companies, non-profits, organizations, and academic institutions to submit their ideas to improve regional mobility, including identifying possible synergies in multiple fields.

German electrical manufacturer Kiepe Electric, which is known for providing public transit equipment, successfully proposed this idea to TransLink.

The 2022 Open Call for Innovation carried a theme of reducing carbon footprint from transportation in Metro Vancouver.

SkyTrain Mark II cars. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

translink trolley bus downtown vancouver dunsmuir granville

Trolley buses in downtown Vancouver. (TransLink)

“We are always excited to collaborate with the best and brightest minds to ensure we are innovating transit as new technology emerges,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in a statement.

“Through the Open Call for Innovation, TransLink is always seeking innovative collaborations that have the potential to transform Metro Vancouver’s transit system.”

In addition to announcing the study, TransLink also launched the 2023 Open Call for Innovation, which challenges innovators to come up with new ideas to help maintain public transit infrastructure. Some of TransLink’s own ideas for the 2023 challenge include using drones to inspect or repair public transit infrastructure, sensors or artificial intelligence platforms to better predict or identify potential hazards, and virtual/augmented reality systems to improve and support maintenance.

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