NFI scores orders from Michigan and New York state

NFI’s streak in the US market continues as the Group writes its first order from the University of Michigan. The transportation department expects three large e-buses to arrive on campus shortly. There’s also news from Nassau Inter County Express (NICE) in New York state.

NICE expects NFI to deliver six battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE buses measuring twelve meters. The five-year contract includes options for up to 30 buses of the same type.

Jack Khzouz, Chief Executive Officer, NICE, explained the agency would use the new vehicles to launch its new bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Nassau County. NICE buses serve Nassau County, parts of western Suffolk County, and eastern portions of Queens, New York, providing over 20 million passenger trips per year.

On the broader view, NICE is the seventh agency in New York State to purchase zero-emission buses from New Flyer, prompting NFI to “steadily increase its EV presence on the east coast,” said Paul Soubry, President and Chief Executive Officer, NFI. He added this was “directly due to aggressive zero-emission leadership and action by transit agencies across New York State.”

New Flyer had received a significant order for up to 150 battery-electric buses through the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority of Buffalo, New York (NFTA-Metro) only in October as reported.

Over to Michigan University, which operates nearly one thousand vehicles in its fleet. The University has committed to achieving university-wide carbon neutrality by 2040, starting with said order of three Xcelsior CHARGE NG buses and one large articulated BEV bus of the same line.

The Xcelsior CHARGE NG line was introduced this year. NFI claims three distinct technology advancements: high-energy batteries that extend up to 13%, advanced protective battery packaging, and a new lightweight electric traction drive system with up to 90% energy recovery.

The U-M contract also includes options for up to 50 Xcelsior transit buses, however, in both electric and diesel propulsion.

newflyer.com (NICE, New York), newflyer.com (Michigan)