Burlington Hydro Inc., located in Southern Ontario, has taken delivery of Canada’s first all-electric zero emission SUV.

There is growing global interest in the potential for vehicle electrification, and attention is shifting to ALL-electric vehicles, versus gas-electric hybrids.  This is due to rapid advances in battery technology, and improved operating characteristics. The SUV built for Burlington Hydro can reach speeds of 144 km/h, and has a range of up to 160 km, making it eminently practical for “real world” fleet applications.

Ontario has the opportunity to be at the forefront of the development and adoption of this technology. Key catalysts behind the momentum are the policies and programs the government of Ontario has put in place to support the evolution of the Smart Grid. The Smart Grid has been compared to the internet in terms of its potential to change the way people and businesses interact with the power grid. Electric vehicles are expected to factor predominantly in this shift. The development of the Smart Grid and the market for all-electric vehicles are inter-dependent.

Commercial vehicle fleets operating from a centralized “hub” offer the potential for rapid adoption of electric vehicles for several reasons. They are ideal in respect to the installation of recharging infrastructure and many fleets operate within geographic regions suitable to the range of all-electric vehicles. In addition, the operating cost savings of all-electric vehicles makes the economics potentially attractive to fleet operators.

Burlington Hydro has positioned itself to be on the forefront of Smart Grid development, and has attracted global partners who seek to use Burlington as a global demonstration site for Smart Grid technology.  The company has acquired an all-electric SUV, based on Canadian technology, which will be incorporated in Burlington Hydro’s working fleet, for the purposes of a collaborative study and demonstration project involving the University of Waterloo, McMaster University, Transport Canada, the City of Burlington, the Province of Ontario and several Smart Grid technology leaders.