[Willybru21]

Does the electric bus accelerate much faster than the current ones? I know the current buses are quite slow at getting up to speed, especially uphill

 

[rbt]

Does the electric bus accelerate much faster than the current ones? I know the current buses are quite slow at getting up to speed, especially uphill

That's an excellent question. Electric motors with high torque at low speed tend not to be efficient for continuous operation at high speeds. It's the reason many EVs have 2 different types of motors; one for getting up to speed (or rapidly decelerate), which is rarely used, and the other to offset drag on the highway. I have no idea what type of performance specs Metrolinx is expecting.

The TTC Nova eBus appears to be configured for efficiency at a continuous ~50km/h rather than getting up to speed as quickly as possible though the manufacturer doesn't really say that. Standing passengers need a fairly gentle ride so putting design effort into higher torque at low speeds is kinda wasted but this is what would be required to run up a hill quickly starting from stopped. I expect their highway coach model would be very similar if not the exact same drivetrain.

Worth noting, I'm only an enthusiast and have no relevant professional expertise.