Strathcona County has added three new electric ice resurfacers to its fleet, according to a news release published Wednesday.
These new Engo IceWolf Lithio machines were acquired using a $100,000 grant from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, a partnership of Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta and the Government of Alberta, and will replace the current fleet, which has reached its end-of-life.
“Every action count towards our shared environmental responsibilities. By switching to EV ice resurfacers, we are reducing our environmental impact, saving money, and providing a safer and more enjoyable experience for our residents and visitors who use our arenas,” said Mayor Rod Frank.
The grant used to purchase the ice resurfacers was also used to install electric charging stations at county facilities.
“These new ice resurfacers are much more efficient, cleaner and quieter than our old ones,” said James Thomas, manager of fleet operations in Strathcona County.
The county has deployed the new machines on the ice of the Sherwood Park Arena, and at Millennium Place.
Correction: an earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the new ice resurfacing machines by the trademarked brand name Zamboni, which is commonly incorrectly used to describe ice resurfacing machines generally.