USA
NFI Group subsidiary New Flyer has improved the range of its articulated Xcelsior Charge NG bus by around 30% with additional battery capacity. The manufacturer expects to begin demonstrations around the country this month with a newly-outfitted bus equipped with an eight-string battery pack, two more than on previous models.
The addition of the seventh and eighth battery strings raises the total capacity of the bus’ energy storage system by 33%, resulting in the addition of approximately 46 more miles of range per charge, which New Flyer says makes the 60-foot model ideal for use on high-volume traffic routes and bus rapid transit (BRT).
“The needs of transit agencies are as varied as the communities they serve, and New Flyer prides itself on building the kind of collaborative partnerships necessary to fulfill those demands,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach at NFI. “The viability of transit solutions such as BRTs depends on the availability of vehicles that can meet the service requirements they create. These new battery options on the Xcelsior Charge NG 60-foot bus allow NFI to address those requirements and the continuously growing demand for long-range zero-emission transit.”
New Flyer launched its Xcelsior bus platform in 2010, which forms the basis of a range of buses with varying propulsion systems, offering operators parts commonality across the different driveline options. New Flyer’s first battery-electric bus built on the platform, the Xcelsior Charge, was launched in 2017, and the latest model, the Xcelsior CHarge NG, was introduced in March 2021.
