Austin, Texas transit operator Capital Metro Transportation Authority has awarded NFI subsidiary New Flyer of America Inc. a contract for 26 battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses and four battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG sixty-foot heavy-duty transit buses (34 equivalent units or EUs). The five-year contract includes options to purchase up to 126 forty-foot and up to 15 sixty-foot battery-electric buses, and up to 427 chargers (197 depot plug-in chargers, 197 depot overhead chargers, and 33 on route chargers).

The first shipment of new electric vehicles is scheduled to arrive by the end of 2022.

This procurement is potentially the largest battery-electric bus procurement yet in the United States. CapMetro is Austin’s public transportation provider, delivering more than 20 million annual trips through bus, paratransit, and commuter rail services. The award will advance CapMetro’s Project Connect, aiming to bridge initiatives addressing equity, sustainability, and innovation by reimagining and implementing its transit program, and electrifying its entire fleet of more than 400 transit vehicles.

New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE NG battery-electric buses deliver up to 525 kWh of power and 250 miles of range on a single charge and, over a 12-year lifespan, offer up to $125,000 in maintenance savings and up to $400,000 in fuel savings.

New Flyer’s zero-emission deployments are supported by NFI Infrastructure Solutions.