New Flyer of America Inc. congratulated King County Metro on the official unveiling and launch of its electric bus test and evaluation program utilizing four Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric, heavy-duty transit buses (two forty-foot and two sixty-foot).
King County Metro has made a firm commitment to further reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the greater Seattle area, and to reach full zero-emission fleet status as soon as 2034 and no later than 2040. The four leased zero-emission Xcelsior CHARGE buses and depot chargers will support KCM’s continued pursuit of its climate goals, and will further its transition to a fully zero-emission vehicle fleet energized by renewable energy.
“Our long-term partnership with KCM dates over 40 years with more than 1,500 buses delivered with various propulsion systems ranging from clean diesel to hybrid-electric, trolley-electric and now battery-electric,” said Wayne Joseph, president, New Flyer of America. “Since the late 1970s, KCM has been on the forefront of sustainable public transit, and in May 2018, we proudly celebrated the delivery of our 10,000th Xcelsior bus – another electric hybrid – with King County Metro. Today, we’re thrilled to mark our continued partnership with KCM as it leads America’s evolution to sustainable, zero-emission transit with battery-electric power.”
“King County Metro is accelerating the transition to a clean-energy future, not only in the greater Seattle area but across North America with a low and no-emission fleet,” said Rob Gannon, Metro's general manager. “We are proud to introduce battery-electric buses to the public and to continue partnering with New Flyer on clean, connected transit solutions.”
King County Executive Dow Constantine has set a goal to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions by preparing Metro to increase transit service through 2020 with no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a goal that should double transit use in Seattle by 2040. This goal builds on an extensive track record of Metro’s evolution to low and no-emission buses: in 2002, Metro was the first to adopt New Flyer’s sixty-foot diesel-electric hybrid transit bus, and since then has introduced 1,332 hybrid electric buses to its fleet. Nearly 90 percent of Metro's fleet has been updated to include either all-electric or hybrid-electric vehicles.
