April 25, 2023 – The Toronto Transit Commission and PowerON Energy Solutions unveiled 10 newly commissioned, battery-electric bus (BEB) charging pantographs as part of a proof-of-concept at the Birchmount Garage in Scarborough.

Expanding the TTC’s charging capacity, the new pantographs will support overhead charging, delivering electricity from a centralized power source to chargers mounted above the BEBs.

From left: Natalie Poole-Moffatt, chief corporate affairs officer, TTC; Fortunato Monaco, chief operations & infrastructure officer, TTC; Keegan Tully, managing director, PowerON Energy Solutions; Jennifer McKelvie, Deputy Mayor, City of Toronto; Gary Crawford, Councillor Ward 20, City of Toronto. Source: PowerON.

“We’re very excited about this new charging infrastructure, as the overhead chargers are more compact, and will allow us to charge more eBuses faster, in more locations,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary.

This charging system is the first phase of a 20-year agreement between the TTC and PowerON (an Ontario Power Generation subsidiary). Under the agreement, PowerON designs, builds, co-invests, owns, and operates charging infrastructure to electrify the TTC’s bus fleet and facilities.

This Birchmount proof-of-concept is funded by the City of Toronto, which has contributed over $5 million to the project. The TTC will use the system to gather and evaluate reliability and operations data prior to broader deployment.

“The TTC operates one of the largest fleets of battery-electric buses in North America, and we look forward to continuing to expand and improve our eBus program as we work toward a completely green fleet by 2040,” said TTC chair Jon Burnside.

The transit commission says it will transition its bus fleet to 100% zero emissions by 2040 or sooner.

— Originally published April 25, 2023. Updated April 27, 2023, with photos.