Press Releases
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to Add New Flyer Xcelsior® XE40 Battery-Electric Bus
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada October 8th, 2015: (TSX: NFI) (TSX: NFI.DB.U) New Flyer of America Inc., a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc. (New Flyer or the Company), the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in the United States and Canada, announced that it will deliver an all electric transit bus to the Washington Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in 2016.
Not only does New Flyer have the largest installed fleet of buses in the industry, the company is also the leader in zero and low-emission electric transit buses, having delivered over 6,000 buses with electric propulsion systems including: electric-trolley, electric-hybrid, fuel cell- electric, and now battery-electric.
WMATA currently operates 1,103 transit buses manufactured by New Flyer and its associated companies. The Xcelsior® XE40 battery-electric bus will be the next advancement in WMATAs alternative fueled fleet, which includes over 780 hybrid diesel-electric buses. WMATA serves a population of five million within a 1,500 square-mile area, including the District of Columbia, the suburban Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges and Northern Virginia counties.
The Xcelsior XE40 is equipped with 200 kilowatt-hours of energy stored in lithium-ion batteries, provided by XALT Energy, a U.S. high-technology manufacturing company based in Michigan. The traction motor is a Siemens ELFA permanent electromagnetic motor rated at 215 hp, with the ability to recover up to one third of the propulsion power to re-charge the lithium-ion batteries during deceleration. Siemens is a global leader in electric propulsion for the transportation industry.
Were extremely pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate our Xcelsior XE40 battery-electric bus with WMATA. Their experience operating alternatively fueled, low-emission vehicles is extensive with expectations for reliability and quality extremely high, said Paul Soubry, President and Chief Executive Officer of New Flyer. Mr. Soubry further explained WMATA is the second major metropolitan transit fleet in the US that will operate our battery-electric bus. In the fall of 2014, the Chicago Transit Authority began operating two New Flyer XE40 buses daily throughout Chicago, offering passengers a cleaner, quieter ride, along with fuel and maintenance savings.
Chris Stoddart, New Flyers Vice President of Engineering and Service, added Its a great fit for both organizations, as our Xcelsior XE40 bus design and development program has yielded the most robust and durable battery-electric bus ever tested at the US Federal Transit Administrations Altoona Test facility.
The WMATA XE40 bus will be equipped with New Flyer Connect®, an onboard telematics systems and support service that will allow WMATA and New Flyer Engineers to remotely monitor the battery-electric vehicle in real-time, for optimal management and operational efficiency.
About New Flyer
New Flyer is the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in the United States and Canada. The Company is the industry technology leader and offers the broadest product line of transit buses including drive systems powered by: clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric trolley and now, battery-electric. All buses are supported by an industry-leading comprehensive warranty and support program, and service network. New Flyer also operates the industry’s most sophisticated aftermarket parts organization, sourcing parts from hundreds of different suppliers and providing support for all types of transit buses.
The New Flyer group of companies employ over 3,400 team members with manufacturing, fabrication, parts distribution and service centers in both Canada and the United States. Over 32,000 New Flyer and NABI heavy-duty transit buses are in operation today. Further information is available on New Flyers website at http://www.www.newflyer.com/content
The common shares and convertible unsecured subordinated debentures of the Company are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols NFI and NFI.DB.U, respectively.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of the Company that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including those risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential impact of these factors, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
For further information, please contact:
Jon Koffman
Investor Relations
Tel: 204-224-6672