Classic Zambonis may give way to electric IceCats in Toronto
To those of who grew up in northern climes during the last four decades and spent any significant amount of time on the ice, or for anyone who watched Hockey Night in Canada, the Zamboni is a familiar sight. Every hour during open skating sessions or in between periods of a hockey game, the Zamboni would roll out and scrape the shavings off the ice and then lay down a film of water to fill in the ruts in the ice. In the smaller local rinks, you'd also be familiar with the smell of the exhaust fumes from the tractor-like machines. Some rinks have also had incidents with people being sickened by carbon monoxide fumes.
The city of Toronto is now moving to replace traditional Zambonis with new electrically-driven units produced in Finland. At $160,000 each, the IceCats aren't going to replace Zambonis overnight. So far there are only four IceCats in Canada, including Toronto's first unit. Ironically, Toronto has chosen to use its first IceCat at the Nathan Philips Square outdoor rink in front of City Hall rather than at one of the many indoor rinks where it might do the most good. But then it wouldn't get as much attention or do as much for the city's image.
UPDATE: ABG reader Gary writes in: Although the machine was previewed at an outdoor rink, Nathan Phillips Square, it is actually in use, and has been since April 2008, at Centennial Recreation Center in Scarborough on the Ice Galaxy Figure Skating pad. The City of Toronto has two (2) of these machines - the second unit being placed at Bill Bolton Arena.
[Source: Wired via Autoblog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gorr 4:43PM (1/04/2009)
I live in canada and i will be interrested to buy a old compressed natural gas engine and a tank from these old zambonis for free for disposal purpose to put on my dodge neon 2005 5 speeds. The swap can be done loccally in a public school by students for free for educating purpose. The fuel can be done at a public sewage plant near my house and i will take the fuel for free for public demonstration. I can be paid thereafter by the state to show that car in sponsored events for the next 20 years, till i retire. Documentary, tv ads, news reports can be made with me at 20 000$ or more each weeks.
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Rick 1:06AM (1/05/2009)
you're a good man with a big heart gorr. I too like the idea of "buying" stuff for free. Perhaps we can work together and save the world by getting a bunch of free stuff for ourselves. yeah - thats the ticket
Stan Wellaway 3:48AM (1/05/2009)
Rick -- millions of us do that already, at http://www.freecycle.org
And there's probably a group near you!
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vfx 11:27AM (1/06/2009)
"At $160,000 each, the IceCats aren't going to replace Zambonis overnight. "
The Zambonis can run up to $225,000 each so this may be a place where EVs have parity.
http://www.zamboni.com/trivia/FAQSheet.html
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BJ 11:47PM (1/26/2009)
With our economy in the shape it's in, It's embarassing to see our hard earned Canadian dollars flying out of our country on products that already exist only one hour west of Toronto. In Elmira Ontario a wonderful compay called Resurfice Corporation builds not one, not two but three "green" ice resurfacers called "Olympia" (s) which the city of Toronto is quite familiar with because they actually own some!!! Shame, shame on Toronto for not putting Canadians first!!
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