Article – Quebec’s ambitious electric school bus program hit a significant roadblock this week as Lion Electric, the province’s homegrown EV manufacturer, announced a recall affecting dozens of their electric school buses currently in operation throughout Montreal-area school districts.
The recall comes after three reported incidents where buses experienced battery system malfunctions, including one case where a bus lost power while transporting elementary students back from a field trip to the Biodôme. While no injuries were reported, the incidents have sparked renewed debate about the province’s aggressive timeline for electrifying its school transportation fleet.
“We’re taking these incidents extremely seriously,” said Patrick Gervais, Lion Electric spokesperson, during yesterday’s press conference at their Saint-Jérôme facility. “Safety remains our absolute priority, and this voluntary recall will allow us to implement enhanced battery management systems across all affected vehicles.”
The province’s $250 million electrification initiative, launched in 2022, aims to convert 65% of Quebec’s school bus fleet to electric by 2030. Montreal has been at the forefront of this transition, with the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal operating the largest electric school bus fleet in the province.
For parents like Marie-Claude Desjardins, whose children attend École Ahuntsic, the recall raises concerns. “I support environmental initiatives, but not at the expense of reliability,” she told me during morning drop-off. “My kids were actually on that bus that broke down near the Biodôme. They were stuck for almost an hour.”
Transportation experts suggest the recall highlights the challenges of rapid electrification. “Quebec’s timeline was always ambitious,” notes Dr. Antoine Belzile, sustainable transportation researcher at Polytechnique Montréal. “What we’re seeing isn’t unusual for emerging technologies, but it underscores the need for phased implementation and redundancy planning.”
The recall affects approximately 45 buses across the greater Montreal region, representing about 30% of Lion’s electric school bus fleet currently in operation. School boards have been instructed to temporarily replace these vehicles with conventional buses until repairs are completed, which Lion estimates will take 4-6 weeks.
At yesterday’s Commission scolaire meeting, several parents expressed frustration over what they perceive as inadequate contingency planning. “We keep hearing about Quebec being a leader in electrification,” said parent representative Jean-François Moreau. “But leadership means anticipating problems, not just reacting to them.”
Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault defended the province’s electrification strategy while acknowledging the setback. “Every transition faces obstacles,” she stated. “We’re working closely with Lion Electric to ensure these issues are resolved quickly and permanently.”
For Montreal bus drivers like Robert Tremblay, who has been transporting students for over twenty years, the technology still needs refinement. “The electric buses are quieter, the kids seem to like them, and I support the environmental benefits,” he explained while waiting outside École Saint-Barthélemy. “But the range anxiety is real, especially in winter. And now with these battery issues, it’s another concern.”
The recall comes at a particularly challenging time for Lion Electric. The Saint-Jérôme-based company has been struggling financially, with their stock dropping nearly 40% since January. This safety issue could further complicate their position as they compete with larger manufacturers entering the electric school bus market.
Climate policy advocates maintain that temporary setbacks shouldn’t derail longer-term environmental goals. “The transition to electric transportation will have bumps along the way,” said Équiterre’s Andréanne Brazeau. “But with transportation representing 43% of Quebec’s emissions, we simply can’t afford to abandon these initiatives.”
For Montreal parents, the immediate concern remains reliability and safety. École Saint-Germain parent Sophie Létourneau summarized the sentiment shared by many: “I want my children to inherit a cleaner planet, but I also need to know they’ll get to school and back home safely every day.”
Lion Electric has established a dedicated information line for concerned parents and school administrators, promising daily updates on the recall process. Meanwhile, the company is accelerating development of its next-generation battery management system, which they claim will address the issues identified in the current fleet.
As autumn temperatures drop and winter approaches, the pressure to resolve these issues quickly intensifies. Montreal’s notorious winter conditions have historically presented challenges even for conventional buses – adding battery performance concerns creates another layer of complexity.
Walking through Montreal’s Villeray neighborhood this morning, I noticed the distinctive yellow conventional buses back on routes typically served by Lion’s electric vehicles. For now, at least, Quebec’s electric school bus revolution has hit the pause button – a reminder that even the most well-intentioned environmental transitions require patience, planning, and perhaps a more measured approach.
