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TransLink is adding four buses powered by fast-charging batteries to its fleet next year as the transit authority continues to experiment with ways to reduce carbon emissions.

TransLink will roll out the electric buses for a two-and-a-half year trial on Route 100, travelling along Marine Drive through Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster. High-powered charging stations, capable of recharging the bus batteries within four to seven minutes, will be installed at each end of the route: one at the Marpole Bus Loop and the other at the 22nd Avenue SkyTrain station.

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“Mass transit has always scored high as a sustainable way to move large numbers of people, but many transit vehicles still use carbon-based fuels. Today, almost half our bus fleet runs on cleaner technology including our electric trolley, hybrid diesel and natural gas buses.

“With this fast-charge, battery-electric trial, TransLink is getting the on-the-ground experience we need to develop our low-carbon fleet strategy and transition towards a zero-emission fleet,” TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said in a release.

TransLink will collect data on bus and charging station cross-compatibility as well as bus performance, maintenance and overall customer experience.

Manufacturers New Flyer and Nova Bus will each produce two electric-battery buses for testing.

The total cost of the pilot project is $10 million. Metro Vancouver is allocating $7 million of federal gas tax money toward the purchase of the buses, with the balance coming from Natural Resources Canada, B.C. Hydro and the City of Vancouver.