Canada Is Switching to Electric Zambonis
Alex Healey
· 2 min read
In the most Canadian news related to
electric vehicles
yet, a Canadian city has announced the rollout of electric Zambonis.Mississauga, Canada’s sixth-largest city, is replacing its old, gas-powered ice resurfacing machines in an attempt to
lower greenhouse emissions
.Other Canadian municipalities are planning to follow suit, and presumably, if it goes well, we can expect to see more electric Zambonis south of the border too.
After all, if anyone understands what it takes to
drive in snow
and ice, it’s surely our neighbors to the north!
Electric Zambonis taking over the ice-resurfacing industry
Mississauga is using the new Model 650 Zambonis, which boasts aluminum alloy wheels, four-wheel drive, and power steering.
Insauga
reports that these vehicles can complete 25 full ice resurfacings of an average-sized skating rink with a single charge.The city will operate eight of the electric models across five of its busiest rinks this winter. And over the next decade, it plans to upgrade its entire 22 Zamboni fleet to electric.
While Mississauga is the first major municipality to switch from gas-powered resurfacing machines to electric ones, other cities are planning to follow suit as early as next year.
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What difference will it make?
You might be surprised to learn just how much gas a traditional Zamboni consumes. Mississauga believes that once all 22 of its electric ice resurfacers are running, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 917 tons. This is equivalent to taking 255 cars off the road.
Considering the majority of ice rinks are located indoors, that’s a whole lot of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide that skaters will no longer have to breathe. As an added bonus, electric Zambonis are almost silent, a dramatic improvement on the load roar associated with gas models.
Zamboni’s advertising slogan for the 650 is “All It Leaves Behind Is Perfect,” and it’s hard to see a downside to using EVs for ice resurfacing. Considering these vehicles don’t have to travel far, and are never more than a few feet from an electrical outlet, the only question is why has it taken so long?
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