What you need to know:
- Nearly 1,200 Lion Electric LION-C buses in Quebec remain grounded as inspections continue after a recent fire.
- LION and Transport Canada oversee inspections, but the fire's exact cause has not been announced.
- U.S. LION-C buses lost manufacturing warranties following the company's bankruptcy and restructuring.
- NHTSA issued safety recalls for LION-C buses over brake, high-voltage, and heating issues.
Nearly 1,200 Lion Electric LION-C battery-electric school buses remain grounded in Quebec as inspections continue following a fire last week. No injuries were reported even though children and the driver were inside the bus when the fire started.
[Related: Quebec officials ground all 1,200 Lion Electric school buses following fire]
Clean Trucking reached out to LION seeking comment and later received a press release explaining that "The Lion Electric Company (LION) is pleased to announce that the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) has approved its plan to return LION-C electric school buses to service. This plan, developed with the support of Transport Canada, paves the way for a gradual and safe return of school buses to Quebec roads starting Monday."
LION confirmed that "neither the electric battery nor the propulsion system was involved."
Pressed further as to what caused the fire, such as a software or mechanical issue, how long the fix requires, whether this issue affects any LION-C buses in the U.S., and a request to view the LION-developed preventive inspection bulletin sent to all affected operators, was left unanswered by the spokesperson.
LION responds
LION's latest response fails to answer those questions:
"In light of the technical analysis conducted by LION in collaboration with Transport Canada, and thanks to the cooperation of bus operators, the inspection bulletin shared with their teams has been amended on Sunday. Additional inspection measures have been communicated to them. As the verifications are carried out and vehicle compliance is confirmed, buses will progressively and safely return to the road."
According to Montreal City News, however, many buses remain out of service until they're cleared for duty, which should happen by Wednesday.
The office of Quebec's Education Minister, Sonia Lebel, told the outlet that "No compromises will be made to ensure student safety, and transport providers are aware of the procedures for resuming their services. Lion engineers had submitted a preventive inspection procedure to carriers to ensure the safety of buses. Transport Canada is the government agency responsible for the inspection procedure for Lion vehicles. School transport operators must now comply with this procedure. If checks are still necessary or have not been fully completed, alternatives will be communicated to parents by the school service centers – known as CSS. The CSS will rely on bus loans and route changes, as well as carpooling and public transportation. School daycare hours may be extended to allow parents to make arrangements."
Affected school districts have been notifying families of the situation, making it clear it's beyond their control, and requesting for them to arrange alternative transportation until further notice.
Not the first LION-C fire
While this latest LION-C issue will likely be resolved soon, it's not the first time one of these buses has caught fire.
In Quebec last January, another LION-C school bus caught fire en route to school. All students and the driver were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported. At the time, Clean Trucking inquired about the cause, but received no response.
Null and void U.S. warranties
In July, LION—formerly known as Lion Electric before filing for bankruptcy last December—announced that all LION-C buses in the U.S. have lost their manufacturing warranties due to the bankruptcy and subsequent restructuring after its sale to Canadian investors last May. The company had operated a now-closed 900,000 sq. ft. factory in Joliet, Illinois dedicated solely to LION-C production.
[Related: Bankrupt Lion Electric's Illinois school bus factory up for auction]
This decision has serious repercussions for U.S. school districts who purchased these buses to replace aging diesels with grants provided by the President Biden era Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's $5 billion Clean School Bus Program.
Prior to this, we reported that an unknown number of U.S. market LION-Cs were grounded as a result of a series of significant mechanical, operational, and safety failures, such as the loss of power steering.
[Related: School districts reveal technical, safety issues with Lion Electric EV buses]
The NHTSA has issued multiple safety recalls for the LION-C, citing issues such as potential parking brake malfunctions, high-voltage system failures, and reversed brake connections. One school district reported that "the electric infrastructure cannot heat the bus when external temperatures fall below 35 degrees Fahrenheit."
Fortunately, none of these issues resulted in a fire.
