The American Battery Solutions (ABS) has been contracted by NFI Group Inc. to supply custom battery packs that will provide clean power for NFI subsidiary New Flyer's newest 35-, 40- and 60-foot battery-electric transit buses.
NFI is launching ABS batteries into bus production for customer deliveries starting in the first quarter of 2024. The Li-Ion batteries were fully designed, tested and validated by ABS at its engineering and development center located in Lake Orion, Mich. The production of the batteries will be done at ABS' state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Springboro, Ohio.
The market for electric buses in North America has now passed the "tipping point," reaching more than 5,480 zero-emission transit buses on the road or on order as of the end of 2022, according to CALSTART's annual Zeroing in on ZEBs report. NFI expects 40 percent of its 2025 production will be zero-emission buses and is leading the evolution to zero-emission public transportation in North America.
"We are excited and proud to partner with NFI, a company at the forefront of electric- powered public transportation. This contract reflects NFI's well-placed confidence in ABS' ability to meet technical and performance requirements at a healthy volume with the competitive cost position," said Subhash Dhar, ABS founder, chairman and CEO. "We have invested more than $200 million in our state-of-the-art automated pack assembly line and facility, with the capacity to deliver the product NFI needs so it can continue to lead the electrification of public transportation in North America."
"Demand for battery-electric buses is accelerating and NFI is leading the evolution to zero-emission public transportation in North America. Our partnership with ABS will provide NFI with the capacity, flexibility and resiliency we need as we ramp up production at our facilities across North America," said Paul Soubry, president and CEO, NFI. "ABS has made significant investments in their pack assembly and battery technology, providing NFI with industry leading solutions. We look forward to working together with ABS to advance battery technology within the public transportation industry."
This scalable custom designed pack solution is based on the ABS ProLiance Intelligent Battery Series™ architecture and fits inside NFI's existing battery enclosure design, providing an alternate source of supply for NFI's battery-electric bus contracts and creating opportunity for technology enhancements. Design and engineering have been led from ABS' Michigan Innovation Center in Lake Orion, with the pack production scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023 at ABS' Springboro, Ohio, manufacturing facility. ABS has secured the cell supply by partnering with world-class cell makers in strategic alliance. These partnerships have resulted in the signing of long-term supply agreements that ensure cell supply through the end of the decade, supporting the NFI ramp along with ABS' other customer programs.
NFI's battery and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches have collectively travelled over 120 million electric service miles, with NFI Infrastructure Solutions' turnkey smart charging services delivering more than 410 chargers delivered to date. NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 140 cities in six countries.
