New Jersey to be graced with 8 New Flyer e-buses with options for more

In the USA, New Flyer bus manufacturer has received an order from the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) for eight all-electric Xcelsior Charge NG forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses. The two companies have agreed on options to purchase up to 75 more battery-electric buses under a five-year contract.

New Flyer’s Xcelsior Charge NG electric bus delivers up to 525 kWh of power with a new lightweight electric traction drive system that the company says provides up to 90% energy recovery.

Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach said: “Our lighter, longer range, and fully accessible Xcelsior Charge NG is our most advanced EV available, and will immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, we are advancing NJ Transit’s clean energy goals while delivering sustainable, quieter mobility in the greater New Jersey community.”

This order furthers NJ Transit’s zero-emission bus program which aims to have transitioned to a 100 per cent pollution-free fleet by 2040. The bus program aligns with New Jersey Governor Murphy’s Energy Master Plan. The commitment to electrification is significant since NJ Transit says it is America’s third-largest public transit agency. The company’s services connect New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia with an active fleet of over 2,200 buses.

In early 2020 we reported that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill to promote electric vehicles. The state called for two million plug-in cars by 2035 and offers consumers rebates of up to $5,000. The ‘Light Duty Plug-in Electric Vehicle Rebate Program’ is planned for a ten-year time frame. Not much more than a year later the Governor announced an investment of more than $100 million in clean transportation projects that range from the decarbonisation of cargo port handling to charging structure, ride-hailing, and electrifying garbage and delivery trucks. Just two months ago, Jersey City saw the first deployment of five battery-electric refuse trucks.

Now that the electrification of public transport systems is gaining focus, NFI’s electric buses are in demand. The American bus manufacturer has seen a big increase in interest in the past 12 months. Just over two months ago, NFI scored orders from Michigan and New York state with an order from the University of Michigan and Nassau Inter Country Express (NICE) in New York state. Earlier the same month, New Flyer scored an electric bus deal that could prove the largest in the US. This included an order from CapMetro in Austin, Texas for over 30 electric buses with an option of over 141 more electric buses possible. Also in November 2021, to keep up with the demand for electric buses and make sure batteries remain in good supply, NFI and Li-Cycle announced they will be cooperating on battery recycling.

Neither NJ Transit nor New Flyer has revealed further details as to when and exactly where the new electric Xcelsior Charge NG buses are to hit the streets.

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