P.E.I.’s electric school bus expansion hits roadblock as company files for receivership

P.E.I.’s plans to have dozens of EV school buses is in doubt after the company building the fleet went into receivership.

A plan to run more than 100 Prince Edward Island school buses on green energy has run into a roadblock due to uncertainty of the future of the company that’s building the fleet.

Lion Electric, which was building the electric buses, has filed for receivership, putting the electric bus project on hold.

“We made the decision to pause our electric school bus procurement process and just wait to see how the dust settles,” said Robert Lantz, minister of Education and Early Years.

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Lantz says the Island’s experience has been mixed. While the province embraced the move towards electric vehicles, officials acknowledge “growing pains” since the initial rollout in 2020.

“Quite honestly, the buses have been quite reliable for us overall. The challenges primarily have been with the heating system, that’s well known, and some logistical challenges,” said Lantz.

“There are some range issues that we can easily deal with by strategically locating some fast chargers around the province and we’re planning for that. So, you know, switching an entire school transportation system over to electrification comes with many challenges.”

In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for Lion Electric says they remain dedicated to providing the highest level of support and information possible to assist P.E.I. remotely in resolving their issues under the circumstances.

“We’re confident that this can all be sorted out and we can move ahead with our electric school bus program in the end,” Lantz said.

The situation on P.E.I. highlights the challenges of EV expansion in the region. New Brunswick is currently in a testing phase, where 22 of its 1,075 school buses provincewide are now electric. New Brunswick’s current fleet of EV buses are circulating in Moncton and Saint John.

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have all partnered together on a feasibility study to determine what portion of the fleet can be electrified, given climate and other factors.

Despite the setback on the island, the province says it still sees a future with a full fleet of EV buses as the goal of hitting net zero by 2040.

For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.