California’s Foothill Transit adds 13 New Flyer hydrogen fuel-cell-electric buses; largest fuel cell fleet in North America

California’s Foothill Transit has ordered 13 New Flyer hydrogen fuel-cell-electric Xcelsior CHARGE H2 forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses. This order is supported by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds.

This addition to Foothill Transit’s initial order of 20 fuel cell-electric buses, announced in October, now establishes North America’s largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses.

Foothill Transit is based in West Covina, California, operating one of the largest fleets of electric buses in America and providing fixed-route service in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. Foothill Transit is a leader in deploying zero-emission bus (ZEB) technology in the United States, and is focused on rebuilding pre-pandemic ridership of 12.5 million trips per year through ZEB mobility.

The Xcelsior CHARGE H2 orders are in addition to two of NFI’s Alexander Dennis E500 battery-electric double-deck buses recently delivered to Foothill Transit.

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.

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