Burlington Hydro Takes Delivery of First EV in Commercial Fleet Application in Canada

. The electric vehicle will join Burlington’s hub and spoke fleet for the duration of the demonstration project.

There are thousands of fleets of this kind in southern Ontario alone. Fleets like these represent a significant proportion of vehicles on our roads, most of which are in daily, constant use. They include couriers, mail and other delivery vehicles, municipal vehicles and many other kinds of fleets. Therefore, using electric vehicles in these fleets could deliver major, immediate environmental benefits. This demonstration project is an important first step in unlocking that potential.

— Gerry Smallegange, President of Burlington Hydro

Transportation accounted for more than half the growth in Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2005, contributing 17 megatonnes, out of 26 megatonnes of total GHG emissions growth. It is also a significant contributor to smog in southern Ontario.

Pioneer Petroleums, Ontario’s largest independent petroleum marketer, will install and operate a recharging station at its Burlington location at 4499 Mainway.

The charging station was developed by Eaton Corporation, which is also providing electrical infrastructure and systems support. Elster Canada, a leader in Smart Metering, will assist by facilitating key learnings through its EnergyAxis technology. Other partners include: Union Gas, S&C Electric, Olameter, Stresscrete Group, Moloney Electric, Wesco Distribution Canada, Cisco, The Province of Ontario, the City of Burlington, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), the University of Waterloo and the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University.

Burlington Hydro Inc., established in 1945 as the Burlington Public Utilities Commission, is an energy services based company in the power distribution business. The company serves more than 58,500 residential customers, and approximately 5,500 commercial and industrial customers.

Burlington Hydro maintains 32 substations and almost 1,300 kilometers of low voltage distribution lines throughout the municipality of Burlington.