Santa Barbara MTD orders 9 battery-electric buses from NFI ST. CLOUD, Minn., May 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF, TSX: NFI.DB) NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, today announced that its subsidiary New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”) has received two new contracts from Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (“MTD”) for a total of nine battery-electric, zero-emission Xcelsior CHARGE® forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses.
MTD provides bus service in Southern Santa Barbara County, California, delivering nearly 6.4 million annual bus rides in a typical year. Supported by Federal Transit Administration (“FTA”) funds, the new bus orders deliver on MTD’s pursuit of a 100 percent zero-emission fleet by 2030 and also fulfil the California Air Resources Board’s (“CARB”) Innovative Clean Transit (“ICT”) regulation, requiring agencies to switch to 100% zero-emission bus fleets by 2040.
“Today, MTD joins ten California transit agencies in choosing battery-electric buses from New Flyer to power their transition to zero-emission mobility,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach, NFI. “Built on the proven Xcelsior platform, our battery-electric buses deliver immediate clean air benefits by reducing up to 160 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Together with MTD, we are mitigating climate change and building more sustainable communities in California.”
NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 80 cities in six countries. NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission battery and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches, and its vehicles have completed over 65 million zero-emission bus service miles.
Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean, and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, technology, infrastructure, and workforce development. NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (“VIC”), the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology and providing workforce development. Since opening in late 2017, the VIC has hosted over 300 interactive events, welcoming 5,000 industry professionals for ZEB and infrastructure training.