COTA (Ohio) orders a new batch of 8 New Flyer e-buses

The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) has exercised options for eight battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE NG forty-foot heavy-duty transit buses from New Flyer. The order comes in the final year of a two-year contract originally announced in 2020, and includes four ABB depot chargers from NFI Infrastructure Solutions to support the deployment. 

Already in 2018 COTA announced it was working to build a decarbonized bus fleet, after having stopped in 2012 to buy diesel buses, replaced with CNG vehicles.

New electric buses for COTA, Ohio

Supported by Federal Transit Administration funds, the order expands COTA’s zero-emission fleet to ten New Flyer electric buses and delivers on the agency’s five-year Strategic Plan to improve customer experience and COTA’s sustainability goal to be diesel-free by 2025, New Flyer points out.

Introduced in 2021, the Xcelsior CHARGE NG bus “incorporates three distinct technology advancements, including high-energy batteries that extend range up to 13%, advanced protective battery packaging for easy install and simpler serviceability, and a new lightweight electric traction drive system with up to 90% energy recovery”, New Flyer stresses. 

COTA provides public transit in the greater Columbus and central Ohio region, delivering more than 19 million passenger trips in 2019. In 2020, COTA received its second Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award from the American Public Transportation Association. 

“Since 2001, NFI has delivered over 165 transit buses to COTA. We are now are enabling its transition to zero-emission with high performance buses and infrastructure,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach. “Our Xcelsior CHARGE NG is our most advanced EV featuring a lightweight traction system, offering extended range, and incorporating up to 525kWh of power. Our mobility solutions are truly leading the “ZEvolution” – and COTA is at the forefront of North America’s transition.”