American Battery Solutions in Lake Orion to Supply EV Batteries to Bus Manufacturer
Posted By: DBUSINESS on October 4, 2023. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
American Battery Solutions (ABS) in Lake Orion, which designs and manufactures modular battery solutions for the transportation, industrial, and commercial sectors, has signed a multi-year contract with Canadian bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc.
The contract call for supplying custom battery packs that will provide clean power for New Flyer’s newest 35-, 40-, and 60-foot battery-electric transit buses. The exact length and value of the contract with the Winnipeg-based bus maker was not disclosed.
The Li-Ion batteries were fully designed, tested, and validated by ABS at its Lake Orion engineering and development center. The production of the batteries will be done at ABS’ manufacturing plant in Springboro, Ohio. New Flyer expects battery delivery to begin in the first quarter of 2024.
“We are excited and proud to partner with NFI, a company at the forefront of electric- powered public transportation,” says Subhash Dhar, founder, chairman, and CEO of ABS. “This contract reflects NFI’s well-placed confidence in ABS’ ability to meet technical and performance requirements at a healthy volume with the competitive cost position. We have invested over $200 million in our state-of-the-art automated pack assembly line and facility, with the capacity to deliver the product NFI needs so that it can continue to lead the electrification of public transportation in North America.”
The market for electric buses in North America has now passed the “tipping point,” reaching more than 5,480 zero-emission transit buses on the road or on order as of the end of 2022, according to CALSTART’s annual “Zeroing in on ZEBs” report. NFI expects that 40 percent of its 2025 production will be zero-emission buses and is leading the evolution to zero-emission public transportation in North America.
“Demand for battery-electric buses is accelerating, and NFI is leading the evolution to zero-emission public transportation in North America,” says Paul Soubry, president and CEO of NFI. “Our partnership with ABS will provide NFI with the capacity, flexibility, and resiliency we need as we ramp up production at our facilities across North America.
“ABS has made significant investments in their pack assembly and battery technology, providing NFI with industry leading solutions. We look forward to working together with ABS to advance battery technology within the public transportation industry.”
This scalable custom designed pack solution is based on the ABS ProLiance Intelligent Battery Series architecture and fits inside NFI’s existing battery enclosure design, providing an alternate source of supply for NFI’s battery-electric bus contracts and creating opportunity for technology enhancements.
NFI’s battery and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches have collectively travelled more than 120 million electric service miles, with NFI Infrastructure Solutions’ turnkey smart charging services delivering more than 410 chargers delivered to date. NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 140 cities in six countries.
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