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Fact:
As a teenager,
Owen was a
frequent rider
of Winnipeg
Transit’s Route
75, because it
was his regular
ride to school
and friends.
MassTransitmag.
com/12422362
electrifi cation achievable and practical as
long-term investments. he helped innovate
the Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) charging standards for interoperability
among transit buses.
He kicked off original discussions
and was a founding member of several
SAE committees. Today, he continues to
participate in regular meetings with the
goal of providing standard, interoperable
charging assets for transit authorities to
use for years to come, regardless of the
OEM or charging equipment suppliers.
Th rough association memberships,
Owen oft en volunteers for various outreach
programs and has also mentored
dozens of engineers-in-training as they
work toward obtaining their professional
engineering designations.
DURING HIS TENURE AT NEW FLYER,
Brydon Owen has improved and developed
many fundamental electronic components
for traditional buses by simplifying
design while increasing reliability,
and worked to innovate and perfect New
Flyer’s fi rst battery-electric bus.
Before joining the New Flyer leadership
team, he worked in New Flyer Production
Engineering as a project engineer
where he was responsible for leading
technical eff orts to develop 20 hydrogen
fuel cell buses for BC Transit prior to the
Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
Th is fl eet converted hydrogen on
board to an electric energy source to
recharge batteries and ultimately power
an electric drive motor. Th e buses
made history as the largest fl eet of hydrogen
fuel cell buses in the world. Th e
program provided valuable takeaways
and ultimately laid the foundation for
New Flyer’s current battery-electric,
zero-emission bus programs.
Owen’s contributions to transit sustainability
extend beyond New Flyer and
his work in charging has developed new,
agreed-upon standards that make fl eet
“No question, a huge factor that helped launch my career
at New Flyer was their exceptional internship program which
gave me a fantastic opportunity to learn about the company
and the industry at large while still in university. I believe that
on-going involvement between our industry and academic
institutions is key to ensuring our long-term growth and success.”
Brydon Owen,
B.Sc. (EE), MASc
(EE), P.Eng.
Chief Engineer
of Electrical
Architecture
New Flyer of
America Inc.
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