The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the Société de transport de Laval (STL) awarded New Flyer a contract for 40 40-foot, zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE™ heavy-duty transit buses.

The notice to proceed for the pilot bus is expected Oct. 31, 2018, and the notice to proceed for the production buses is expected following the nine month review of the pilot bus.

The new order, supported by funding from provincial and federal governments, includes 10 buses for STL and 30 buses for STM, together making it the largest ever Canadian battery-electric bus procurement to date. The purchase furthers efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by exploring unique electric mobility solutions to create more livable cities. Currently, both agencies operate battery-electric bus pilot programs, and intend to be fully electric in the future, with STL and STM committing to buy only electric buses as of 2023 and 2025, respectively.

The buses will use depot-based charging to slow-charge the buses, with 466kWh batteries on board.

With the announcement, Laval and Montréal join the likes of Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Palm Springs, and other cities across North America operating New Flyer’s zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses.