St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA : (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF) NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, today announced that NFI subsidiary New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”) has been awarded a zero-emission contract from California’s SunLine Transit Agency (“SunLine”) for five forty-foot fuel cell-electric Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ heavy-duty transit buses. The purchase follows SunLine’s previous 2020 order for five Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ buses and brings SunLine’s total zero-emission fleet to 26 fuel cell-electric vehicles (“EVs”).
SunLine provides bus service in the Coachella Valley, delivering over four million annual passenger trips. This hydrogen bus order, and SunLine’s previous 2020 zero-emission order, are supported by Federal Transit Administration (“FTA”) funds and will propel fulfillment of the California Air Resources Board’s (“CARB”) Innovative Clean Transit (“ICT”) regulation, five years ahead of state mandates. CARB mandates agencies to transition to 100% zero-emission bus (“ZEB”) fleets by 2040.
“NFI has delivered 65 heavy-duty buses to SunLine since 2004, of which 22 were built on our proven Xcelsior platform,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach. “SunLine is a pioneer in fuel cell adoption, and this follow-on order is a testament to the proven performance and reliability of our Xcelsior CHARGE H2 bus, which delivers extended range of up to 350 miles. We look forward supporting SunLine as it furthers clean mobility in California.”
The Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ is a battery-electric vehicle using compressed hydrogen as an energy source and range extender, requiring only 6-20 minutes to refuel. Fuel cell-electric technology is fully zero-emission and an innovative way to obtain extended-range operation similar to existing transit vehicles. Built on New Flyer’s proven Xcelsior® platform, the Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ can save 85 to 135 tons of greenhouse gas per year from tailpipe emissions compared to a diesel bus. For more information, visit newflyer.com/chargeh2.
NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 80 cities in five countries. NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission battery and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches, and the Company’s vehicles have completed over 50 million EV service miles. Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean, and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, technology, infrastructure, and workforce development.
NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (“VIC”), the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology and providing workforce development. Since opening late 2017, the VIC has hosted over 300 interactive events, welcoming 4,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training.
About NFI
Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world. With zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and technology, NFI meets today’s urban demands for scalable smart mobility solutions. Together, NFI is enabling more livable cities through connected, clean, and sustainable transportation.
With 8,000 team members in nine countries, NFI is a leading global bus manufacturer of mass mobility solutions under the brands New Flyer®(heavy-duty transit buses), MCI®(motor coaches), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), ARBOC®(low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™. NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and clean diesel. In total, NFI supports its installed base of over 105,000 buses and coaches around the world. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information is available at www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.arbocsv.com, www.alexander-dennis.com, and www.nfi.parts.
About New Flyer
New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product line under the Xcelsior® and Xcelsior CHARGE® brands. It also offers infrastructure development through New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe, sustainable, and reliable charging and mobility solutions. New Flyer actively supports over 35,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 8,600 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,900 are zero-emission. Further information is available at www.newflyer.com.
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