The City of Mississauga introduces cool new electric Zambonis
/The only drawback is that they weren’t named “Zambon-EV’s”
It’s not only cars that are available as electric vehicles (EV) in the modern world; zambonis are getting in on the action.
The City of Mississauga very recently introduced eight EV Zambonis for local arenas this season as part of their plan to replace all 22 gasoline ones over the next decade.
Moving forward, they’ll be replacing two gasoline machines with EV ones each year.
Currently, the Model 650 zambonis are in use at Iceland, Meadowvale 4 Rinks, Paramount Fine Foods Centre, Tomken Twin Arena and Erin Mills Twin Arena.
Here’s everything you need to know about how Mississauga is charging forward with these new machines that will reduce their Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 832 tonnes (equivalent of 255 cars) once all 22 EV zambonis are on the fleet:
What size battery does it use?
735 AH
2. How long does it take to charge from 0 to 100%
From depleted to 100% - 10-12 hours. Although, the battery should never be brought to 0%.
3. How long does it take to charge from 0 to 80%
From depleted to 80% - 8-10 hours.
4. What type of chargers can be used? (Level 1, 2, 3)
Only the chargers supplied with the machine are to be used.
600V/20A with NEMA L17-30 plug attached.
5. What's the range in kilometres?
It’s dependent on the depth of cut but on average, 20+ km
Note that opportunity charging allows for charging between use for continued use throughout the day.
6. How many kms are in one ice resurfacing?
Approximately 1.21 KM
7. Who manufactured these zamboni EV’s?
Crown Battery
8. What's the warranty on the battery?
60 months / 1500 cycle warranty
9. What's being done with the gasoline ones once they're out of service?
The oldest machines in the entire fleet are sold, and the others are rotated through other City locations. This review is completed each year to determine what machines make sense to sell, and which ones to move around.
10. How much does it cos per zamboni EV?
For 2021, the price was $123,830 each.
11. What's the weight of the gas one and new EV one?
Gasoline: Empty 3143 k/ 6930 lbs. With water 4240 kg/9350 lbs.
Electric: Empty 4853 kg 10700 lbs / with water 5670 kg 12500 lbs.
12. Did additional charging infrastructure have to be installed in City rinks to accommodate these?
No, only electrical hookups were required for the supplied chargers, 2-3 k per facility.
13. What's the lifespan of the battery according to the manufacturer?
Dependent on use and maintenance, typically three to seven years.
14. Aside from a battery opposed to a gasoline motor, what other differences are there between the two?
The electric machines use AC motors and controls to drastically reduce maintenance.
15. Did operators have to undergo special training to use the EV zambonis?
The machine functions essentially the same, but yes, training was provided to facility operators. Training was also provided to both operators and fleet for battery maintenance and regular machine maintenance.
16. Which two arenas are next to get these EV’s?
Carmen Corbasson Community Centre and Port Credit Arena.
17. Which are the last two arenas that will get these?
It’s not determined yet (see question #9) but they will be single pad arenas with the least usage. The spare machines will be the last ones replaced as they are used the least.
18. Does it take the same amount of time to resurface ice with the EV?
Yes. Machine speed is a critical component of making great ice.
19. Will each arena have two machines?
Dependent on the facility and number of ice pads. It’s one machine for every two ice pads but a few facilities have spares. For example, Iceland (a four pad arena) has three machines onsite. The spare is still natural gas due to limited usage but will eventually be replaced. Spare machines are used throughout the City but stored at facilities with available space and the highest usage in case they have a breakdown.
20. What's the first day these will be in use?
First use was actually at Iceland Arena March of 2020, but due to the pandemic, were hardly utilized as there were limited to no bookings. Since then, we had acquired more electric machines.
21. On a full charge, how many ice resurfacing can be done?
Approximately 25.
