San Diego MTS adding 6 New Flyer battery-electric buses

San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) awarded New Flyer a new contract for six 40-foot, zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE™ heavy-duty transit buses.

The purchase, supported by competitive state grants, California’s Cap-and-Trade Program, and the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, continues San Diego’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions as part of a zero-emission pilot program that supports overarching California Climate Action goals. Buses are expected to arrive in 2019 and will be tested along various existing routes.

The buses are equipped with 480-kilowatt batteries, and will also feature the latest onboard video surveillance systems, enhanced wheelchair restraint systems with forward-facing safety barriers for improved safety, and electric air conditioning and accessory systems.

The MTS Board of Directors unanimously approved the purchase, which includes nine depot chargers from New Flyer. Plans are in place to install six depot chargers at the Imperial Avenue Division as the primary operating facility for the zero-emissions buses, with the remaining three to be installed at other fixed-route operating facilities to expand the route-testing area and provide service continuity.