Latest news with #NovaBus
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Micro Bird deal given statewide recognition
PLATTSBURGH — The Micro Bird deal is getting statewide honors. The attraction of Micro Bird, the electric bus manufacturer set to replace Nova Bus at its Banker Road facility in the Town of Plattsburgh later this year, to Plattsburgh was recently recognized as the 'Economic Development Project of the Year' by the New York State Economic Development Council. The award was presented at the annual meeting of the Council in Cooperstown. It was accepted by Abby Praetorius, vice president for Economic Development at the North Country Chamber of Commerce; Steve Hunt, Regional Director of Empire State Development; Molly Ryan, Executive Director of the Clinton County I.D.A.; and Danielle King, President/CEO of TDC. 'The Micro Bird deal was the result of a great team effort and it is great that the team was able to be recognized together,' Garry Douglas, Chamber President, said. Douglas said other team members deserving thanks include 'Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senator Charles Schumer, Assemblyman Billy Jones, and the Town of Plattsburgh, as well as our new friends and partners at Micro Bird of course who we continue to work actively with as they move toward the start of production.' 'This deal stands out as it is an example of something that is so seldom achieved, that being the attraction of a similar company to replace one which is leaving,' he continued. 'Every team member made an indispensable contribution to the outcome and we thank the NYSEDC for its recognition of the shared success. Onward and upward!' In June 2023, Nova Bus announced it would be leaving the Banker Road facility within the following two years. In November 2024, Micro Bird announced it would be acquiring the Nova Bus facility and providing employees with the opportunity to transition to similar employment positions at Micro Bird. Michael S. Cashman, Plattsburgh Town Supervisor, said he's proud the town is part of the team that brought Micro Bird to the community. 'We extend our sincere thanks to the North Country Chamber of Commerce for its steadfast leadership and vision, and to all our regional and state partners who played vital roles. This recognition is a testament to what we can accomplish together when we put collaboration first,' Cashman said. 'At the end of the day, the real award is a new business choosing Plattsburgh and a dedicated workforce continuing to build high-quality products right here in our hometown. We look forward to supporting Micro Bird's bright future here.'
CBC
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Halifax launches 60 new electric buses into transit fleet
Halifax has officially launched its 60 new electric transit buses into service, a move the city says will save thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions each year. On Tuesday, politicians, transit workers and municipal staff gathered at the Ragged Lake Transit Centre to mark the end of the first phase of the Halifax Regional Municipality's zero-emission bus project. The $112-million project, supported by all three levels of government, saw Halifax bring in 60 battery-powered electric vehicles from Nova Bus to replace diesel models. The Ragged Lake depot was expanded to handle the buses and new charging stations, and solar panels were added to the facility's roof. "It's incredibly exciting. We've been working towards this for a long time and to finally be able to cut the ribbon on this new facility, I think it's a big milestone for Halifax Transit," Anthony Edmonds, project manager of fleet electrification for Halifax Transit, told reporters. "I think it's a sign of more things to come and the start of a really bright, green future." The project was first announced in 2021, with the first electric bus arriving in December 2023 for training and road testing. The remaining buses have arrived over the past year, with three entering service this past December. Some electric vehicles can struggle in winter weather, but Edmonds said Halifax's models have diesel auxiliary heaters that allow them to burn a small amount of fuel on very cold days to increase their range between charges. "Of course, part of the extensive testing that we've done has been to see what the performance is like in the winter and to make sure that they meet our needs, even on the harshest days when there is a foot of snow on the ground, and when it's –20 and blowing. So we should be all right," Edmonds said. The buses have a regenerative braking system — hitting the brake pedal charges the battery powering the motor. The municipality said it expects the new buses to save about 2,800 tonnes of carbon emissions this year in comparison to diesel models. Edmonds said it means saving "thousands and thousands" of litres of expensive diesel fuel every week. The buses have the same capacity as the current diesel models so passengers might not notice when they board an electric bus, Edmonds said. But the electric ones are much quieter, and there won't be a cloud of diesel fumes when they pull away from a stop, he added. To make sure people with vision loss know when an electric bus is getting close, each will have an alerting system that sends "unobtrusive warning sounds" when the bus is going slowly, according to Halifax's website. Edmonds said the buses will be deployed throughout the network because most of Halifax's routes are conducive to electrification. Transit staff will rotate the vehicles between routes to track how they perform in different areas and with challenges like hills. The total price tag had $45 million coming from the federal government, $37 million from the province and $30 million from Halifax. Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore said he was "very proud" that the municipality is the first in Atlantic Canada to see a large number of electric buses enter service. Halifax plans to eventually have about 200 zero-emission buses. The municipality said upgrading the Burnside Transit Centre to a net-zero facility to house those vehicles is Phase 2 of the plan, which is expected to be completed by 2028. Many of the rest of the buses will be electric, but Fillmore said Halifax is also exploring hydrogen fuel cells to find out what the best mix of technologies should be. A report coming to Halifax's audit and finance committee Wednesday shows that Halifax plans to convert four diesel buses to a dual-fuel (hydrogen/diesel) system this September for a pilot project aimed to finish in December 2026. The provincial government is providing $367,500 from its Clean Fuels Fund for the hydrogen pilot, with HRM paying about $122,500.
Hamilton Spectator
09-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Cost of new buses needs double take, per Whitehorse city staff
Prices are increasing for the City of Whitehorse transit fleet expansion On May 5's standing committee meeting, councillors heard that the city's budget will need to be changed to adjust for a nearly $500,000 price increase on an order for five buses. Originally the budget item was marked down as costing $4,109,924, funded with the federal government's Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's public transit stream. That initial cost estimate was made in 2024. However, prices have increased beyond what was expected and those five buses now cost $495,000 more. Aside from the now confirmed cost of the buses being higher, the additional $495,000 includes a contingency of 3.5 per cent to buffer against any impacts from tariffs or supply chain issues. The $495,000 would come from the Transit Equipment Reserve, a pot of money that can only be used for public transit purposes. That fund clocked in at $4.7 million as December 31, 2023. More recent numbers won't be available until information for the 2024 fiscal year has been finalized, which will happen in the coming months, as per a city spokesperson. Valerie Braga, the city's director of corporate services, told councillors the fund hasn't been used much in the past because there have previously been easy ways of finding funding for public transit. However, moving forward, it looks like finding that funding will be more difficult, she said. The city's contract for the buses is with Quebec-based Nova Bus, said Richard Graham, the city's manager for fleet and transportation. That said, the company has assembly plans on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. 'We are fairly confident in the pricing, and we are hopeful that we wouldn't need the 3.5 per cent. The wild card is just what may happen globally in terms of additional costs,' said Graham. 'In terms of the costs from Nova Bus as long as we award within the time limits on the pricing, then that price would be fixed for the delivery.' Two of the buses being ordered are set to replace two buses within the city's fleet. Both of the buses due for replacement are from 2008, with over 1 million kilometres on them each. The remaining three buses on the order would be additional buses to bolster the city's fleet. The transfer payment agreement for the new buses is in the final stages but not yet quite solidified — however, Graham said that it would not be long before the agreements are signed. The buses are currently on appendix B of the budget, which means they're not purchased until there is confirmation of external funding — in this case, the money from the federal government. 'So no purchase order or anything can be written until such point as we get the TPA. But once we do, it moves into Appendix A, and the buses can then be ordered,' said Braga. The buses are currently scheduled to be delivered to the city sometime in 2026 or 2027.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Nova Bus helping drive transition to sustainable mobility, as its 100% electric bus achieves a key compliance
SAINT-EUSTACHE, Quebec, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nova Bus is proud to announce that its LFSe+ 100% electric bus meets all the requirements of the latest SAE J3105_202305 standard, a must-have for the future of electric mobility in the short term. In response to changing municipality and transit authority needs, the manufacturing company is once again enhancing vehicle performance, further strengthening its position as an electrification leader in the field of urban transportation. Equipped with SAE J3105_202305 compliant software and hardware, the Nova Bus LFSe+ 100% electric bus provides multiple benefits for bus operators. Electric charging of the LFSe+ bus, whether sequential or parallel using an inverted pantograph, will no longer require driver intervention and will now be fully automated for greater safety, efficiency, and performance. It will also make for a more reliable connection between chargers, pantographs, and buses. In the event of a power failure, LFSe+ charging will automatically restart once service is restored, without manual intervention. The LFSe+ will remain compatible with both old and new chargers and inverted pantographs (compliant with the SAE J3105 standard in effect prior to May 2023), ensuring a smooth integration into existing urban transport operator fleets and equipment. "At Nova Bus, we are very proud to continue innovating and supporting the transition to sustainable mobility. We believe in a better future, thanks to our 100% electric vehicles, which are more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and perfectly adapted to the realities of the communities we help serve," said Nova Bus President Paul Le Houillier. About the SAE J3105_202305 standard Visit the website of SAE International, the world's leading authority on the development of mobility standards. About Nova Bus Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group, is a leading provider of sustainable transportation solutions in North America. Nova Bus supports transport companies and bus fleet operators in their transition to electromobility with the LFSe+, its 100% electric long-range bus model combining Nova Bus' proven structure and the latest innovations in electric propulsion. Nova Bus is committed to supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and making a positive contribution to a greener economy. For more information about Nova Bus' products and services, please visit For more information: Christos KritsidimasVice President, Legal and Public Affairs and External CommunicationsNova Bus phone: +1 (438) 350-0454Email: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
CBC
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Why your city is still waiting on e-buses — and how tariffs could make things worse
Electric bus manufacturers hit hard by pandemic-era supply chain chaos could soon find themselves pummelled by a trade war. "The immediate effect of the [U.S. President] Donald Trump tariffs is buses become more expensive overnight," said Josipa Petrunic, the president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC). Petrunic said the highly integrated North American industry could see companies hike prices, leaving cash-strapped Canadian transit agencies with a big problem. "All of a sudden a city that has only so much money can buy many fewer buses from what it planned," she said. Cities across Canada are already making difficult choices in the face of intolerably long manufacturing waits, including buying more diesel buses instead. Manufacturers worry outdated payment models and incredible levels of customization have forced them into a corner, which Petrunic arguing the industry has brought to the point of an "existential crisis." Hit on both sides On a November earnings call for NFI Group, owner of one of two main Canadian e-bus manufacturers, CEO Paul Soubry said he wished he had a "crystal ball" — presumably aimed at Trump's Oval Office. "We're basically concerned, obviously, but not disastrously worried that there's going to be a massive impact," he said. Any effect would be felt north of the border. "We don't export a lot out of the U.S., other than in some cases, we'll build some parts that send to Canada," he explained. "The other end, where we build something in Canada, a shell, most of it is used with U.S. steel or U.S. components." Petrunic predicts a double whammy. North American integration means that companies would be hit by tariffs on parts that head north to their Canadian factories and then again on completed vehicles sent to American customers. NFI owns New Flyer. For the other major manufacturer Nova Bus, which closed its U.S. factory in 2023, Petrunic said the risk could be greater. Waiting for cash Before the pandemic, the burgeoning industry was dealing well with the massive influx of orders from Canadian and American cities, taking advantage of major financial incentives provided by higher levels of government. Then everything changed. Unpredictable kinks in the supply chain — including when a shipping vessel became locked in the Suez Canal — were coupled with pandemic limits on factory workers. It takes tens of thousands of components to make an electric bus and the delay of even one part can stymie a whole project. Manufacturers ended up carrying millions in costs through months of delays, since contracts allow cities to pay all at once after a bus is delivered and fully tested. WATCH | What it takes to make a transit garage electric bus-ready: Tour OC Transpo's electric bus-ready garage 1 day ago Duration 3:30 Begging and pleading At a conference held by the Canadian Urban Transit Authority last fall, representatives from Nova Bus and New Flyer made a plea for understanding to cities — outlining the potential cost of the status quo on an industry still recovering. "We lost half a billion dollars over three years. We refinanced our business eight times during that time. We begged and pleaded for price adjustments, but our contracts today don't include those types of conditions," Christos Kritsidimas, external communications at Nova Bus, told agencies. "Tell me where you can go order something that's engineered to order and custom, and not put a penny down," he added. Stephanie Laubenstein, sales and business development director at New Flyer, said the payment model is a holdout from times when a diesel bus could be delivered in six months. E-buses take up to four times longer. During that troubled period, transit agencies were having their own issues. Some opted to put plans to go green on hold, which Kritsidimas said effectively starved the industry. WATCH | How to avoid a public transit 'death spiral': How to avoid a public transit 'death spiral' 10 months ago Duration 4:16 Ottawa's OC Transpo has painted a grim long-term financial picture. It's been a million dollars short of revenue projections every month this year. CBC Ottawa's municipal affairs reporter Elyse Skura breaks down the options for cash-strapped transit agencies. Promoting the 'vanilla bus' Then there's the challenge of designing a whole new vehicle with every order. Zero-emission buses come with long lists of customizations that are non-negotiable for transit agencies — everything from the design of the farebox to the size and placement of a driver's cupholder to the exact colour of white paint. "When you overcustomize, you [make things more complex], you get delays in procuring your bus and then it becomes expensive," Kritsidimas explained to CBC. "Forty shades of white. All of this adds to the complexity of a bus and how we produce it … How do we make this simpler?" Bus companies have already standardized batteries and charging components, but they say an outside force is holding up further progress. "A lot of it is legacy from years of negotiation with the unions," said Petrunic. "The problem is it has radically driven up the cost of our buses and our bus operations because of these unique designs." Petrunic said union leaders need to be part of the solution. John Di Nino, national president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), told CBC he'd like to be at the table. "There's always leeway for standardization," he said, explaining that ATU is already working with Centennial College on an ideal bus. But he said it's important to consider the "end user" in any design. "Most of our operators can be on these vehicles anywhere from eight to 10 and 12 hours a day," he said. "You want to ensure that they have maximum comfort, which is going to improve safety on the road. It's going to make their working conditions a lot more conducive to delivering safe, reliable and affordable transit." Customizations and contractual issues have become such a major concern that manufacturers went to Joe Biden's White House to garner support for their case. Both New Flyer and Nova Bus told CBC progress is being made. Proterra bankruptcy puts issues in focus What's at stake for manufacturers should be clear for anyone familiar with the industry, since Proterra — once the third major player in the Canadian market — succumbed to pandemic pressures. "Proterra went bankrupt. That was the big red flag," said Petrunic. Neither New Flyer nor the Volvo-owner Nova Bus are at risk of bankruptcy, she said, but companies themselves admit the industry remains fragile. The Proterra example also shows how losing a manufacturer can affect customers. The City of Edmonton was an early adopter, bringing in dozens of Proterra e-buses. The company's collapse left Edmonton out tens of millions of dollars and without support for the unexpected issues arising from the new technology. On the other side of the country, Ottawa's OC Transpo is using this example as a learning opportunity. "We took the approach that we're doing a 50/50 split between New Flyer and Nova [in our purchase of e-buses] and that's to de-risk to a certain degree," said Daniel Villeneuve, manager of the capital zero-emission bus program. He said the city is also providing progress payments to manufacturers, knowing that OC Transpo will need to maintain a good relationship with companies throughout the vehicles' 15-year lifespan. Back to diesel When cities signed these contracts, they used delivery dates to plan out the maintenance of their fleets. That's creating real-world consequences for riders at bus stops. OC Transpo is now relying on a bus fleet where 55 per cent of the vehicles should already be retired, resulting in added maintenance and less reliability. Ottawa, like Winnipeg, Saint John and others, is now looking to buy more diesel buses and finding even those are hard to come by. Staff told councillors last Thursday that no used buses are on the Canadian market and new diesel buses will take up to two years to arrive. "Line up," was Petrunic's message to the many cities contemplating a similar move. "Because you're going to be far down the line." She mentioned one final issue that gums up the works even more. Cities across North America have been relying on unprecedented government subsidies that could disappear with a change in government. "We will not have enough transit buses in the country, which we already don't have. We will have reduced services. Transit riders will be upset. People won't be able to get to work," she warned.
