Provincial Engineering & Geoscience Week

1 0 | W i n n i P E g F r E E P r E S S P R O v I N c I A L E N G I N E E R I N G & G E O S c I E N c E W E E k NEWFLYER ThesearethecorevaluesthatguideNewFlyeranditspeople.Wehaveappliedthesevaluestobuildingandpreservinglastingrelationshipswithour customers,stakeholders,employees,andthecommunitiesweliveandworkin.Wevaluethecontributionsoftheindividual,butwealsorecognizethatitis whenweworktogetherasateam,thatwetrulyexcel. Ifyouarelookingtobeapartofteamthatworkstoensureourcultureisabouttrulylivingourcore values-thenweinviteyoutocomeandshareyourdriveandpassion! Builtto RELYON. TM Arey ready? Climbabo d. FAIR | DECISIVE | INTEGRITY | PASSIONATE | ACCOUNTABILITY | DEPENDABILITY | RESPONSIVE | CITIZENSHIP | ETHICAL newflyer.com S tudents in the engineering technologies and trades at Red River College are helping to shape a zero-emissions future with their participation in the groundbreaking development of an all-electric battery transit bus. In 2011 the Province of Manitoba awarded $645,000 to Red River College to found the Electric Vehicle Technology & Education Centre (EVTEC) at the college's Advanced Transportation & Energy Centre. EVTEC's mandate includes applied research such as innovative projects for ground- transportation electric and hybrid vehicles using renewable sources of energy. The electric bus project was consistent with the college's Mobility from Green Energy Initiative. An international consortium, consisting of the Province of Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), New Flyer Industries and RRC, was struck in the same year, and the partners embarked on a three-year $3 million project to design, build and demonstrate an all-electric battery bus prototype, the first of its kind in Canada. The all-electric bus was successfully built within the year and, beginning in 2012, the prototype was tested for more than a year under Winnipeg conditions. The prototype performed well, and New Flyer Industries received $3.4 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada to build four additional electric buses. Project partners contributed more resources, bringing the total investment to $10 million, and all four of the new buses were put into service to evaluate their performance as part of Winnipeg Transit's fleet. Each electric bus is expected to run for up to four years while its performance is being documented. "Engineering technology students have been involved over the course of this significant project for the last three years," says Ray Hoemsen, director, applied research & commercialization for Red River College. "Most of their involvement for the last three years has been with the modification of battery packs for the new electric bus. They have been involved primarily with the implementation and integration of battery technology for three of the five buses currently being tested. The college has also been involved with the charging technology, monitoring and demonstration phases." As most students are participating in a two-year program the prototype electric bus in front of the manitoba Legislative Building. Red River College photo No-emission mission red river students Work on Bus for the future By G.A. Taylor for the Free Press

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