New York City adds to its zero-emission fleet with an award to New Flyer for 15 low floor 60-foot Xcelsior CHARGE™ battery-electric transit buses

ST. CLOUD, MN, March 25, 2019 /CNW/ - (TSX: NFI) New Flyer of America Inc. ("New Flyer"), a U.S. subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. ("NFI"), the largest bus and coach manufacturer in North America, today announced that New York City Transit ("NYCT"), part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority ("MTA"), has awarded New Flyer with a contract for 15 low floor sixty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE™ battery-electric, zero-emission, heavy-duty transit buses (or a total of 30 equivalent units or "EUs").

The order supports NYCT's efforts to develop a cleaner, greener public transportation footprint, which focuses on building greater environmental sustainability, reducing emissions, and modernizing the MTA's bus fleet. Each bus will leverage New Flyer's CONNECT 360™ business analytics and reporting tool to optimize performance and operations.

"We're proud to be able to provide NYCT with additional battery-electric transit buses built on the exact same Xcelsior platform as the clean-diesel, natural gas, and diesel-electric hybrid buses currently in service in its active fleet," said Chris Stoddart, President, New Flyer. "Across NFI Group, we've delivered more than 2,500 buses to NYCT, with over 1,100 MCI coaches and 1,400 New Flyer transit buses connecting New York City and its surrounding boroughs and communities."

The 60-foot New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses feature long-range, heavy-duty lithium-ion batteries. New Flyer batteries are designed specifically for rigorous 24/7/365 transit demands of New York City, utilizing American-based battery technology and American-based manufacturing supplied by XALT Energy. The award includes New Flyer providing sixteen (16) Siemens 150 kW direct current interoperable chargers with installation, testing and commissioning to be performed by the recently announced New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™.  

NYCT and the MTA Bus Company comprise the largest transit agency in North America. Together, they serve an estimated 8.5 million citizens and supports more than 60 million visitors annually.

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 6,100 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 31, 2017, NFI posted revenues of US $2.4 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.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.      

SOURCE New Flyer of America Inc.