The Canadian Government mandates every light-duty vehicle sold to be electric as of 2035. The Town of Banff (ToB) receives a substantial influx of visitors every year. Its 8,300 residents are dwarfed by a Visitor Adjusted Population that rises to 43,000 on peak travel days. Visitors occupy approximately 3,700 hotel rooms and around 25,000 vehicles drive into the town. In response, ToB and the Banff National Park have taken steps to mitigate negative traffic impacts by implementing an electrified public bus fleet. A transition to a full fleet of passenger electric vehicles (EVs) after 2035 poses considerable challenges to ToB in terms of traffic management and electrical infrastructure.
This project draws on FES projects T06-P02 ‘Operational decision support for smart grids’ (led by Dr. Musilek) and T06-P03 ‘Distributed energy storage’ (led by Dr. Mertiny). Dr. Anders contributes required complementary expertise in terms of public preferences and the economics of energy transition. The team is well positioned to complete this project that aligns with the Accelerator Fund’s goals.