08.02.17

Press Releases

New Flyer to Offer Fuel-Saving Technology from Allison Transmission beginning in October 2017

Available in three packages, Allison Transmission’s FuelSense® 2.0 allows fleets to optimize fuel economy and performance to their specific needs.

St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA – August 2, 2017: (TSX: NFI) New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”), the U.S. subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc. (the “Company”), the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, today announced that it will offer FuelSense 2.0 featuring DynActive™ Shifting beginning October 2017. The fuel-saving technology from Allison Transmission (“Allison”) delivers up to 6 percent additional fuel savings beyond the company’s original FuelSense software.

“New Flyer is proud to enhance the efficiency of Xcelsior® buses with FuelSense technology,” said Wayne Joseph, President, New Flyer of America. “Through constant innovation and working closely with companies like Allison, we are able to offer customers a cleaner, greener bus that lends greater sustainability and environmental stewardship to their communities.”

Introduced in March 2014, Allison’s FuelSense packages enabled significant fuel economy improvements. Through a set of proprietary software enhancements, the new FuelSense 2.0 technology uses DynActive Shifting to provide an infinitely variable combination of shift points. FuelSense 2.0 uses a learning algorithm to continuously find the ideal balance of fuel economy and performance.

“This latest technology further reduces fuel consumption in all segments of a vehicle’s duty-cycle,” said Heidi Schutte, vice president of marketing and sales for the Americas with Allison Transmission. “FuelSense 2.0 offers increased specification flexibility and delivers the best economic value to our customers.”

Providing maximum value for applications with heavy start-stop needs, FuelSense 2.0 is ideally suited for New Flyer’s transit customers. With more than 3 million test miles in customer fleets representing a variety of duty-cycles, the fleets have experienced fuel economy gains up to 6 percent. This fuel economy improvement resulted in an estimated annual per vehicle savings of up to $900 based on duty cycle, annual mileage, and fuel price.

The available packages are FuelSense 2.0, FuelSense 2.0 Plus and FuelSense 2.0 Max. All three include DynActive Shifting. FuelSense 2.0 Plus and Max include improved Neutral at Stop. FuelSense 2.0 Max includes enhanced Acceleration Rate Management.

  • Improved ‘Neutral at Stop’ – This feature lowers fuel consumption and emissions by reducing or eliminating the load on the engine when the vehicle is stopped. Two versions are available: (1) Standard – Provides partial (first-level) Neutral at Stop, or (2) Premium – Provides full Neutral at Stop and a new, low-speed coasting capability. Both versions feature a locked output at stop to prevent rollback. Optional Neutral at Stop with Coast Mode allows attainment of neutral at very low speeds as the vehicle comes to a stop using the service brakes.
  • Enhanced ‘Acceleration Rate Management’ – This feature mitigates aggressive driving by automatically controlling engine torque. Newly updated, in addition to five levels of control currently available, it provides more precision by limiting vehicle acceleration to a customized rate.
  • For more information about FuelSense 2.0 packages, visit allisontransmission.com/fuelsense. Currently, aftermarket installation of FuelSense 2.0 is not allowed in California or the CARB Heavy Duty Opt-in states of Maine, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

About New Flyer Industries

The Company is the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America with fabrication, manufacturing, distribution and service centers across America. It employs over 5,400 team members.

The Company is North America’s heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the broadest transit bus product line under the brand Xcelsior®, incorporating the broadest range of drive systems available, including: clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, trolley-electric, and battery-electric. New Flyer actively supports over 44,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 6,400 are powered by electric and battery propulsion.

The Company is also North America’s motor coach market leader offering the Motor Coach Industries (MCI) J-Series, the industry’s best-selling intercity coach for 11 consecutive years, and the MCI D-Series, the industry’s best-selling motor coach line in North American history. MCI is also the exclusive distributor of Daimler’s Setra S 417 and S 407 in the United States and Canada. MCI actively supports over 28,000 coaches currently in service.

The Company operates North America’s most comprehensive aftermarket parts organization providing support for all types of transit buses and motor coaches. All buses and coaches are supported by an industry-leading comprehensive warranty, service, and support network.

Further information is available on the Company’s websites at www.www.newflyer.com and www.mcicoach.com. The common shares of the Company are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI.

About Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,600 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

Contact
Jon Koffman
Investor Relations
New Flyer Industries
[email protected]
204-224-6672

Craig Koven
Allison Transmission
Corporate Affairs & Communications
[email protected]@newflyer.com
317-242-3432