WINNIPEG, Oct. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - (TSX: NFI) (TSX: NFI.DB.U)
New Flyer of America Inc., a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries
Inc. ("New Flyer" or the "Company"), the leading manufacturer of
heavy-duty transit buses in the United
States and Canada,
announced that it will deliver an all electric transit bus to the
Washington Area Transit Authority ("WMATA") in
2016.
Not only does New Flyer have the largest installed fleet of
buses in the industry, the company is also the leader in zero and
low-emission electric transit buses, having delivered over 6,000
buses with electric propulsion systems including: electric-trolley,
electric-hybrid, fuel cell- electric, and now
battery-electric.
WMATA currently operates 1,103 transit buses manufactured by New
Flyer and its associated companies. The Xcelsior®
XE40 battery-electric bus will be the next advancement in WMATA's
alternative fueled fleet, which includes over 780 hybrid
diesel-electric buses. WMATA serves a population of five
million within a 1,500 square-mile area, including the District of Columbia, the suburban
Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince George's and Northern Virginia
counties.
The Xcelsior XE40 is equipped with 200 kilowatt-hours of energy
stored in lithium-ion batteries, provided by XALT Energy, a U.S.
high-technology manufacturing company based in Michigan. The
traction motor is a Siemens ELFA permanent electromagnetic motor
rated at 215 hp, with the ability to recover up to one third of the
propulsion power to re-charge the lithium-ion batteries during
deceleration. Siemens is a global leader in electric
propulsion for the transportation industry.
"We're extremely pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate
our Xcelsior XE40 battery-electric bus with WMATA. Their
experience operating alternatively fueled, low-emission vehicles is
extensive with expectations for reliability and quality extremely
high", said Paul Soubry, President
and Chief Executive Officer of New Flyer. Mr. Soubry further
explained "WMATA is the second major metropolitan transit fleet in
the US that will operate our battery-electric bus. In the
fall of 2014, the Chicago Transit Authority began operating two New
Flyer XE40 buses daily throughout Chicago, offering passengers a cleaner,
quieter ride, along with fuel and maintenance savings."
Chris Stoddart, New Flyer's Vice
President of Engineering and Service, added "It's a great fit for
both organizations, as our Xcelsior XE40 bus design and development
program has yielded the most robust and durable battery-electric
bus ever tested at the US Federal Transit Administration's Altoona
Test facility."
The WMATA XE40 bus will be equipped with New Flyer
Connect®, an onboard telematics systems and support
service that will allow WMATA and New Flyer Engineers to remotely
monitor the battery-electric vehicle in real-time, for optimal
management and operational efficiency.
About New Flyer
New Flyer is the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit
buses in the United States and
Canada. The Company is the
industry technology leader and offers the broadest product line of
transit buses including drive systems powered by: clean diesel,
natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric trolley and now,
battery-electric. All buses are supported by an industry-leading
comprehensive warranty and support program, and service network.
New Flyer also operates the industry's most sophisticated
aftermarket parts organization, sourcing parts from hundreds of
different suppliers and providing support for all types of transit
buses.
The New Flyer group of companies employ over 3,400 team members
with manufacturing, fabrication, parts distribution and service
centers in both Canada and
the United States. Over 32,000 New
Flyer and NABI heavy-duty transit buses are in operation today.
Further information is available on New Flyer's website at
http://www.newflyer.com
The common shares and convertible unsecured subordinated
debentures of the Company are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange
under the symbols NFI and NFI.DB.U, respectively.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements
relating to expected future events and financial and operating
results of the Company 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 those 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
Company 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 Industries Inc.