Kitchener charged up over new electric Zamboni fleet

The City of Kitchener has a new fleet of electric Zambonis. CTV’s Ashley Bacon takes a look.

The City of Kitchener has unveiled a new fleet of electric Zambonis.

“Rinks around the City of Kitchener just got a whole lot quieter,” said facility operator and Zamboni driver Spencer Warren. “For me, the biggest aspect is the noise. I find the old machines are very loud.”

The city began the transition to electric Zambonis in August because it was time for the older machines to be replaced.

“You have one at Carl Zehr Square, we have one here at Sportsworld Arena, you have one at Activa and then they have two at the Kitchener Auditorium that are already in use,” said Ryan Cook, Kitchener’s manager of community arenas.

The ice resurfacing machines are manufactured in Brantford and cost roughly $15,000 more than their propane-fueled predecessors.

“The fuel burning ones are a little bit cheaper, but these ones save on maintenance costs,” said Cook.

“It’s better air quality, you’re not worrying about running propane or natural gas inside of the facility,” he added.

The new Zambonis sustain enough power to run for an entire day.

“The battery will last all day because when they’re done a flood, they do quick charges,” Cook said.

For drivers like Warren, the switch has been a positive one.

“You can maneuver it better, you can turn it better when coming off the ice and backing up, it’s a lot easier. It overall just feels smoother, it feels new, it’s a great machine,” he said.

The newest machine will be tasked with maintaining the rink at Carl Zehr Square, and the city want your input in naming it.

“Staff will see what names best fits through the top vote of what the polls are,” Cook explained.

“There’s an online poll and then there’s physical polls that will be available for certain locations.”

Community members will have until Nov. 30 to submit their suggestions for the Zambonis new name. The ice at Cark Zehr Square is expected to be ready for skaters on Dec 3rd.