New Flyer of America Inc. and New Flyer Industries Canada ULC (together “New Flyer”), have unveiled the Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ fuel cell-electric heavy-duty transit bus. Both the forty-foot and sixty-foot model have successfully completed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Model Bus Testing Program at Altoona, Pennsylvania.
This makes the Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ the first sixty-foot fuel cell-electric bus to complete Altoona, and establishes New Flyer as the only manufacturer to offer both a forty-foot and sixty-foot fuel cell-electric model that qualifies for federal funding.
The Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ are vehicles that use environmentally-friendly hydrogen and fuel-cell technology to create electricity and charge batteries for extended-range zero-emission transit operations, saving 85-175 tons of greenhouse gas per year from tailpipe emissions compared to a traditional diesel bus. With a range of up to 300 miles, the bus can be refueled in 6-20 minutes depending on the model and operating conditions, and requires no overnight plug-in electrical re-charging. The Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ also features regenerative braking while decelerating, which recharges the batteries and reduces energy consumption for extending range. The only tailpipe output is clean water vapor.
New Flyer is currently delivering twenty-five (25) Xcelsior CHARGE H2™ fuel cell-electric buses to three transit agencies as part of California Climate Investments (CCI). CCI is a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households.
“We anticipate fuel cells for extended range will complement all battery-electric technology, not only in transit, but other industries such as commercial trucks,” said Chris Stoddart, President, New Flyer.
According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), adopting zero-emission public transit can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 million metric tons from 2020 to 2050 – the equivalent of taking 4 million cars off the road – and will reduce emissions by approximately 7,000 tons. Programs like CARB’s Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation challenges transit agencies to look for cleaner energy sources by mandating that California public transit agencies operate 100 percent ZEBs by 2040.
New Flyer of America Inc. and New Flyer Industries Canada ULC are subsidiaries of NFI Group Inc, North America’s largest bus manufacturer.
