Matthew Cox is the President and CEO of TRAXX Coachlines, a company that is testing a zero-emission electric bus today, August 30.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Jay Munoz, Method Visual
August 30, 2021 - 3:30 PM
An electric motor coach is currently on pace to set a green world record as it travels from Kamloops to Vancouver.
The zero-emission model is owned and operated by TRAXX Coachlines, which has offices in Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Medicine Hat.
The route along Highway 5 is 356 kilometres long and includes an elevation gain of 830 metres.
Company president and CEO Matthew Cox was on the bus, descending into Hope around noon today, Aug. 30.
“We have been watching the bus down to the bolts as it tackled steep climbs,” Cox said. “We are on the decent into Hope and regaining charge on the way down, beating predictions on consumption and regains. We are at a 60 percent charge. The advertised distance is 262 to 375 km in favourable conditions. This is a challenging route.”
His team is documenting everything for submission to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“We are on a record setting drive for the highest, longest journey onboard an intercity motor coach,” he said. “We are the first to make the record because this technology has just emerged. We are setting a high benchmark and are hoping someone will challenge it as technology advances.”
Cox said the main goal is to test the bus and work toward a more environmentally sustainable future.
“TRAXX has been thinking about how it’s doing business,” he said. “We really planned out how to get our company to a zero carbon imprint. The pandemic has been hard on the motor coach industry but we are coming out stronger than when we went in.”
An electric bus owned and operated by TRAXX Coachlines that is a J4500 Charge, 56-seat, zero-emission model made by MCI Motor Coach Industries in Winnipeg.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Jay Munoz, Method Visual
The electric bus is a J4500 Charge, 56-seat, zero-emission model made by MCI Motor Coach Industries in Winnipeg. It runs on lithium batteries that need to be plugged in for four hours to fully charge. The bus also charges when stopping or coasting during transportation.
“I grew up as a kid in Kamloops and connecting Kamloops to Vancouver with a carbon neutral option is a key piece,” Cox said. "The cost of the bus is approximately $1.3 million to purchase."
The bus is due to arrive in Vancouver this afternoon.
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