New Flyer has announced two new orders from Ottawa’s OC Transpo for 51 Xcelsior CHARGE NG 40-foot battery-electric buses, building on a framework agreement with the Toronto Transit Commission. Backed by the Canada Infrastructure Bank and federal support from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, this purchase marks a step toward decarbonizing OC Transpo’s network by 2036.
The deal follows a successful 2021 pilot program, which deployed four Xcelsior CHARGE buses for OC Transpo’s network, covering over 480 square kilometers across Ottawa and parts of Quebec. New Flyer’s electric buses have collectively covered more than 195 million EV miles in North America, supporting the shift to sustainable transportation.
Alongside this contract, New Flyer has unveiled an expansion project at its Winnipeg manufacturing facility, supported by the Government of Manitoba and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan). The C$25 million investment will enable the facility to produce up to 240 zero-emission buses annually by 2027, while creating 250 new jobs. This is part of New Flyer’s wider initiative to increase its production of heavy-duty electric buses across North America, with the first builds anticipated for late 2025 and ramping up through 2026.
The funding for this expansion includes a two-year interest reduction on a C$50 million provincial loan, in addition to contributions from Manitoba and PrairiesCan. This project will not only provide Canadian-built zero-emission transit solutions but also free up production capacity in the United States, addressing record demand for zero-emission transit buses across New Flyer’s core markets.
In October, New Flyer received a major order for 108 hydrogen fuel cell Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ buses from SamTrans in San Mateo County, the company’s largest fuel cell bus order to date, contributing to New Flyer’s substantial backlog for zero-emission buses.
