New Flyer Industries, a major manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, has unveiled a battery-electric version of its popular Xcelsior transit bus.

The XE40 electric bus features a Siemens electric drive system, a New Flyer lithium-ion energy storage system, a regenerative braking system and an Eaton en-route conductive charging capability. Battery capacity is scalable between 100 and 300 kWh.

“In addition to clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric trolley and fuel cell, our customers now have a commercially available and cost-effective all-electric propulsion option that can integrate seamlessly with their existing transit fleet,” said New Flyer CEO Paul Soubry. “Over the next decade, we expect to see a continued transition from conventional propulsion towards zero-emission technologies in the heavy-duty transit market, and this builds on our natural evolution from diesel to hybrid to natural gas to electric – all based on the same proven Xcelsior bus platform.” 

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“New Flyer has more than 20 years of extensive experience with electric vehicle technology, including hybrid buses, trolley buses, and fuel-cell hybrid buses,” notes Chris Stoddart, New Flyer’s VP of Engineering and Service. “We have designed the XE40 with public transit agencies in mind, using components and systems that are Buy America compliant and are manufactured and supported by long-time supply chain partners. The bus can be charged at a depot or utilize a single pantograph interface providing rapid en-route conductive charging that can be integrated into normal transit dwell times. This allows the bus to be operated with the same duty cycle as a conventional transit bus.”

The company’s zero-emission transit bus line also includes electric trolley and battery-electric propulsion variants, 362 of which are in service today. New Flyer built a battery-electric pilot bus in 2012, andit began shuttle service operation in March 2014. To date, New Flyer has built six XE40s for North American customers, and expects five of them to enter service in the coming weeks. 

Source: New Flyer Industries via EV News Report