TriMet welcomes first Xcelsior CHARGE™ electric bus; powered by Portland General Electric clean renewable energy

 

St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA – April 16, 2019: (TSX: NFI) New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), the largest bus manufacturer in North America, today congratulated the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (“TriMet”) as it welcomed its first zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE™ transit bus to the growing community.

New Flyer previously reported the order for five forty-foot battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE™ transit buses in September 2017. TriMet partnered with Portland General Electric (“PGE”) to purchase, own, and maintain six ABB chargers and the related infrastructure. The program was funded in part with a $3.4 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s 2016 Low and No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle Deployment Program.

TriMet is operating the forty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE™ bus on Line 62-Murray Blvd in the Portland, Oregon metro area. The route covers 13 miles and 700 feet in elevation change.

“We are tremendously proud to see the Xcelsior CHARGE bus introduced to the Portland region,” said Chris Stoddart, President, New Flyer. “We congratulate the exceptional teams at TriMet and PGE for successful integration of zero-emission electric buses, along with clean renewable energy, in their transition from conventional clean diesel propulsion to zero-emission buses.”

The pilot bus will be joined by four additional Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses this summer, creating an all-electric bus route. The buses will operate between the Sunset Transit Center and Washington Square Transit Center, with depot chargers installed at TriMet’s Merlo Operating Facility and one on-route charger installed at the Sunset Transit Center to rapidly recharge batteries each round trip.

“Transit inherently plays an important role in reducing emissions and easing congestion,” said Doug Kelsey, General Manager, TriMet. “Now, as our first all-electric bus rolls into service powered by the wind, we are furthering our commitment to the environment and are at the forefront of a cleaner future, both for TriMet and the Portland, Oregon region.”

TriMet connects people in the Portland, Oregon surrounding areas, providing over 97 million trips per year. Through adding even cleaner buses to the fleet, TriMet proves its commitment to more and better service for the citizens of Portland region.

In 2016, Portland was a finalist in the U.S. Department of Transportation (“USDOT”) Smart Cities Challenge, competing to win funds to transform its transportation system with electric vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies to foster future mobility solutions.

NFI has over 50 years of experience in manufacturing zero-emission buses (ZEBs), with more electric buses on the road in America than any other manufacturer. In 2018, New Flyer became the first bus manufacturer in the world to sign on to the Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities, joined the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) to support industry charging standards for all electric vehicles, became the first licensee outside the Volvo Group to join OppCharge in North America, signed CALSTART’s Global Commercial Drive to Zero to support fast-tracking adoption of clean trucks and buses, and also signed the Transportation Electrification Accord focused on driving an equitable and prosperous future for electrified transportation.

About NFI

With over 6,300 team members, operating from 31 facilities across Canada and the United States, NFI is North America’s largest bus manufacturer providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under brands: New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), MCI^® (motor coaches), and NFI Parts™ (parts, support, and service). NFI buses incorporate the widest range of drive systems available including: clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, and zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell) on proven bus platforms. It also supports infrastructure development through New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe and reliable charging and mobility solutions. In total, NFI supports over 74,000 buses and coaches currently in service across North America. For the fiscal year ended December 30, 2018, NFI posted revenues of US $2.5 billion. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information are available at www.nfigroup.com.

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 41,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 7,300 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,600 are zero-emission. Further information is available at www.www.newflyer.com.

About MCI

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is North America’s public and private market motor coach leader, building the J4500 (the industry best-seller for 13 consecutive years), the all-new 35-foot J3500 model, and the workhorse D-Series including the breakthrough ADA-accessible MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coach offering lower dwell times. MCI will add battery-electric propulsion in 2020. With nearly 30,000 MCI coaches on the road, MCI also provides maintenance, repair, 24-hour roadside assistance, parts supply through NFI Parts, and technician training through the industry’s only Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) accredited MCI Academy. Further information is available at www.mcicoach.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of NFI Group 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 market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services, customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses, the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience and the other 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 NFI Group 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 media inquiries, please contact:
Lindy Norris
P: 204.792.8424
[email protected]

For investor inquiries, please contact:
Stephen King
P: 204.224.6382
[email protected]