Queen’s University in Kingston has acquired an electric service truck and announced plans to possibly increase that number to create a fleet of sustainable vehicles.
This first vehicle – a Greentruck EVR1000 [pdf company brochure] – is a crew-cab pickup truck seating up to four passengers, produced by Vantage Vehicle International Inc.
Powered by a 72-volt lead acid battery system, it has a battery life of up to 50,000 kms.
“This e-vehicle in an example of Queen’s commitment to sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices,” said Aaron Ball, Sustainability Manager. “It’s wonderful that it can perform all of the functions we need it to in a sustainable way.”
The university tested the truck for six weeks this past summer to evaluate its usability for the three departments that may use electric vehicles in the future: Parking, Security, and Maintenance.
Now that the EVR1000 assessment by those groups is complete, the Parking Department will continue to use the e-vehicle and its utility bed for regular duties on campus.
As other vehicles within the three departments come up for renewal, Queen’s will consider on a case-by-case basis whether an electric vehicle would make an appropriate replacement.
In a release, the University described the benefits of using e-vehicles instead of gas-powered vehicles to include reduced CO2 emissions and lower annual fuel costs.
They anticipated that replacing just one of the traditional vehicles with an electric vehicle could result in an 80 per cent operational cost saving per vehicle per year, and an annual four-tonne reduction in the University’s carbon footprint.
For more information about their new e-vehicle, visit this Sustainability Office webpage.
