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Philadelphia’s SEPTA awards NFI Group a contract for up to 340 EVs

ST. CLOUD — NFI Group Inc., an independent bus and coach manufacturer and a company involved in electric mass mobility solutions, announced that its subsidiary New Flyer of America Inc. has received a new contract from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) for a firm order of 220 Xcelsior® forty-foot, heavy-duty, hybrid-electric transit buses. The order includes options to purchase up to 120 additional Xcelsior forty-foot, hybrid-electric buses under a five-year contract.

SEPTA is America’s sixth-largest transit agency, delivering 300 million annual rides across five counties surrounding Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“NFI has delivered over 2,070 buses to SEPTA since 1997, and today we continue to power the transition to sustainable mobility with our low-emission, quiet, efficient, and fully accessible hybrid-electric buses,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach. “With best-in-class features on board, including enhanced batteries and regenerative braking, our hybrid-electric buses are a proven transition strategy to zero-emission mobility through high operational performance, smooth acceleration, fuel savings, and improved air quality.”

The hybrid-electric buses feature BAE’s HDS200 hybrid drive propulsion, including the latest MAPS2 accessory power system which will upgrade SEPTA’s current fleet with engine-off features such as stop/start, arrive and go, and onboard “Green Zone” technology, which enables the bus to switch to battery-electric power in specified zones.

New Flyer’s hybrid-electric buses are trying to bridge the transition between traditional combustion engines and zero-emission propulsion, reducing NOx emissions up to 50% and particulate matter levels up to 100% while also lowering fuel consumption and maintenance costs.