KNOWLEDGE SERIES
KNOWLEDGE SERIES THE GREAT TRANSITION: LESSONS FROM A HALF-DECADE OF ZEB DEPLOYMENT
2026 2026
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2026 Volume 7 Number 1
Written by: Dr. Josipa Petrunić, President and CEO Bernard Ross, Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) Simulation Modeller Ryan Welfle, IP Development Lead
ALL BACKGROUND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND MODELLING TOOLS, INPUT AND OUTPUT VARIABLES REMAIN IN THE SOLE OWNERSHIP OF CUTRIC. ANY USE, REPRODUCTION OR REDISTRIBUTION MUST INCLUDE PROPER CREDIT TO CUTRIC AS THE SOURCE AND AT THEIR OWN DISCRETION AND RESPONSIBILITY. COPYRIGHT © 2026 CUTRIC-CRITUC
CUTRIC-CRITUC, KNOWLEDGE SERIES, THE GREAT TRANSITION: LESSONS FROM A HALF-DECADE OF ZEB DEPLOYMENT VOLUME 7. NO. 1 (2026)
Table of contents Table of contents .................................................................................................................... 2 List of figures ........................................................................................................................... 3 Acronym list ............................................................................................................................. 4 Intellectual property (IP), confidentiality and copyright statement ..................................... 5 Background IP ...................................................................................................................... 5 Confidentiality and non-disclosure statement .................................................................. 5 Executive summary ................................................................................................................. 6 References ............................................................................................................................. 21
2 All background intellectual property and modelling tools, input and output variables remain in the sole ownership of CUTRIC. Any use, reproduction or redistribution must include proper credit to CUTRIC as the source and at their own discretion and responsibility. Copyright © 2026 CUTRIC-CRITUC CUTRIC-CRITUC, Knowledge Series, The Great Transition: Lessons from a Half-Decade of ZEB Deployment. Volume 7. No. 1 (2026)
List of figures Figure 1. Improvements in ZEB technology since 2020....................................................... 9 Figure 2. Summary of Cochrane on-demand transit analysis ........................................... 11 Figure 3. Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) key outcomes ............................................ 13 Figure 4. Socio-economic impact of ZEBs .......................................................................... 15 Figure 5. Panel discussion outcomes.................................................................................. 16 Figure 6. Federal advocacy four core pillars ....................................................................... 19
3 All background intellectual property and modelling tools, input and output variables remain in the sole ownership of CUTRIC. Any use, reproduction or redistribution must include proper credit to CUTRIC as the source and at their own discretion and responsibility. Copyright © 2026 CUTRIC-CRITUC CUTRIC-CRITUC, Knowledge Series, The Great Transition: Lessons from a Half-Decade of ZEB Deployment. Volume 7. No. 1 (2026)
Acronym list BCSF BEB CCV COLT CPTF CUTRIC EVSE FCEB GHG HCCF HICC HVAC IP ISO kWh NRC OCPP PM2.5 RDD&I RFP TTC ZEB ZEBTEC ZEV
Build Communities Strong Fund Battery electric bus Canadian content value Cochrane On-Demand Local Transit Canada Public Transit Fund Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium Electric vehicle supply equipment Fuel cell electric bus Greenhouse gas Harmonized Canadian content framework Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada Heating, ventilation and air conditioning Intellectual property International Organization for Standardization Kilowatt-hour National Research Council Open Charge Point Protocol Particulate matter Research, development, demonstration and integration Request for proposal Toronto Transit Commission Zero emissions bus Zero Emissions Bus Technology and Energy Committee Zero emissions vehicle
4 All background intellectual property and modelling tools, input and output variables remain in the sole ownership of CUTRIC. Any use, reproduction or redistribution must include proper credit to CUTRIC as the source and at their own discretion and responsibility. Copyright © 2026 CUTRIC-CRITUC CUTRIC-CRITUC, Knowledge Series, The Great Transition: Lessons from a Half-Decade of ZEB Deployment. Volume 7. No. 1 (2026)
Intellectual property (IP), confidentiality and copyright statement The material in this report reflects the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium’s (CUTRIC’s) best judgment considering the information available at the time of preparation. Any use a third party makes of this report or any reliance on, or decisions to be made, based on the report’s content are the responsibility of such third parties. The Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) accepts no responsibility for damages, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made or actions based on this report.
Background IP Any “background” intellectual property (IP) relating to CUTRIC’s RoutΣ.i™3.0 algorithm or allied algorithmic non-profit modelling tools developed by CUTRIC remains the sole property of CUTRIC. Any technical specifications provided in the form of raw data by manufacturers or third parties, which serve as inputs into CUTRIC’s algorithms, analysis or methodologies remain the sole property of those third party providers.
Confidentiality and non-disclosure statement This document is prepared for CUTRIC members and may be publicly accessible for informational purposes. Any use, reproduction or redistribution must include proper credit to CUTRIC as the source and at CUTRIC’s own discretion and responsibility. The Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) makes no warranties regarding third party decisions based on this material and assumes no liability for any resulting actions or outcomes.
5 All background intellectual property and modelling tools, input and output variables remain in the sole ownership of CUTRIC. Any use, reproduction or redistribution must include proper credit to CUTRIC as the source and at their own discretion and responsibility. Copyright © 2026 CUTRIC-CRITUC CUTRIC-CRITUC, Knowledge Series, The Great Transition: Lessons from a Half-Decade of ZEB Deployment. Volume 7. No. 1 (2026)