Canada / USA – New Flyer of America Inc of Crookston, Minnesota, USA (a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc of Winnipeg, Manitoba), has delivered the first of five Xcelsior CHARGE battery electric buses to Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet). TriMet has partnered with Portland General Electric (PGE) to purchase, own, and maintain six ABB chargers and the related infrastructure. Renewable power generated by wind turbines is provided for the scheme. The programme was funded in part with a USD3.4m grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s 2016 Low and No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle Deployment Programme.

TriMet is operating the forty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE bus on Line 62-Murray Blvd in the Portland, Oregon metro area. The route covers 13 miles and 700 feet in elevation change. Four more Xcelsior CHARGE are to be delivered this summer and are to completely electrify a route  operating between the Sunset Transit Centre and Washington Square Transit Centre, with depot chargers installed at TriMet’s Merlo Operating Facility and one on-route charger installed at the Sunset Transit Centre to rapidly recharge batteries each round trip.