The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) Board of Directors has awarded a contract to ENC for the bus manufacturer to supply L.A. Metro with 220 40-foot AXESS EVO-BE® battery-electric buses (BEB). The BEBs will help L.A. Metro transition its entire fleet to zero emissions by 2030.

“Los Angeles County riders deserve clean, reliable transit, and this award moves our region closer to a zero-emission bus fleet that brings cleaner air to the neighborhoods we serve,” said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “This investment will create good-paying jobs, strengthen our local economy and provide our riders with more reliable service for years to come.”

Every bus will be built at ENC’s 227,000-square-foot, ISO 9001-certified facility in Jurupa Valley, Calif.

“[L.A.] Metro’s decision reflects confidence in our people, our product and our ability to deliver at scale,” said ENC CEO Jason Lee. “We commend Stephanie Wiggins and the [L.A.] Metro team for the steady leadership that is moving Los Angeles County toward a cleaner, more modern transit system. ENC is ready to work with [L.A.] Metro on the next steps at full speed.”

ENC notes the AXESS EVO-BE® pairs the BAE Systems® Gen3 electric drive system with up to 738 kWh of energy storage. Altoona-tested and built on ENC’s 304-grade stainless steel structure, it is available in 33-, 35- and 40-foot configurations, each fully ADA-compliant with configurable floorplans designed to serve diverse community needs.

“An award of this scale is built on trust, and we intend to keep earning it every day,” said ENC Vice President of Transit Sales John Obert. “Our California team will build these buses close to the communities they serve, with the quality and reliability [L.A.] Metro riders count on. We are proud of the good jobs this work represents for hundreds of Californians, and of the role these buses will play in how Los Angeles County moves.”

According to the report released by the L.A. Metro Board, the new BEBs will include new technology and safety enhancements, such as an integrated operator compartment, an advanced driver assistance system (collision avoidance), an acoustic vehicle alerting system and an optional mirrorless driver assistance camera system. The BEB range is estimated at 174 to 250 miles on a single charge. Funding for the $337.7 million order will come from a combination of state, federal and local funds. The contract also includes options for up to an additional 1,600 BEBs.

The agency and supplier have worked together before. ENC was awarded a 40-foot compressed natural gas bus contract by L.A. Metro in October 2017. The BEBs will arrive in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

According to Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, the order means the city of Los Angeles is on track to electrify 20% of its fleet.