Executive summary

The Canadian ZEB Database™: Canada's zero-emission bus landscape and electrification readiness is a part of CUTRIC’s Knowledge Series. This report scans, analyzes and characterizes the Canadian zero-emission bus (ZEB) landscape. To establish the overall readiness of provinces and municipalities in decarbonizing their fleets, the report uses data directly provided by transit agencies and from the public domain. CUTRlC has built over the last six months as it has sought to summarize and report on ZEB data categorized by the following technologies: • Battery electric buses (BEB) are powered by electricity stored in rechargeable on-board battery packages. • Fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) require a hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) to charge an on-board battery, powered by an on-board electric motor. • Compressed natural gas buses (CNG) are fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG) using refined or upgraded anaerobically-generated biogas in place of traditional fossil fuels. • Electric low-speed autonomous shuttle (e-LSA) is an emerging class of shared mobility for first-kilometre/last-kilometre application in local municipal systems. • In-depot and on-route charging infrastructure support the operation of electric buses. Based on the Canadian ZEB Database™ , this report highlights the current status of each ZEB technology up to May 2022 in Canada, and forecasts technology adoption to determine whether transit agencies and municipalities will meet Canada’s ZEB targets. Finally, the Knowledge Series outlines the challenges and limitations of the Canadian ZEB Database™ , along with next steps.