TransLink orders 2 Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses to further interoperable charging supported by CUTRIC

WINNIPEG, Sept. 20, 2018 /CNW/ - (TSX: NFI) New Flyer Industries Canada ULC ("New Flyer"), a Canadian subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. ("NFI"), the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, today announced a new contract with the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority ("TransLink") for two forty-foot, zero-emission, battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE™ heavy-duty transit buses. The buses are part of the Pan-Canadian Electric-Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial, facilitated by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium ("CUTRIC").

TransLink will deploy the electric buses and overhead electric charging stations compatible with the OppCharge protocol. The high-powered charging stations are being provided by ASEA Brown Boveri ("ABB") and Siemens Canada, and are compatible with all heavy-duty buses tested during the demonstration. CUTRIC was fundamental in bringing together funding partners, various manufacturers, utility providers, and Canadian research teams to purchase, test, and demonstrate the interoperability of electric buses and interoperable charging solutions across the three agencies.

"New Flyer has been a proud member of CUTRIC since 2016, and is committed to the success of the Pan-Canadian Electric-Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial," said Jennifer McNeill, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. "New Flyer has led North American efforts to develop industry standards for both on-route and depot charging of battery-electric buses, and has worked to ensure that transit agencies can make the most of major investments required for electric bus fleet development and operation."

CUTRIC is a member-based innovation consortium that partners stakeholders in industry, transit, and academia to develop the next-generation of low-carbon smart mobility technologies. Its mandate is to drive forward innovation in transportation across Canada, create jobs by doing so, and lead to significant greenhouse gas reductions. For more information, visit www.cutric-crituc.org.

TransLink is Metro Vancouver's regional transportation authority, connecting the region to enhance livability by providing a sustainable transit and transportation network for over 247 million trips per year.

The NFI Group has over 88 years of experience manufacturing buses in Canada and over 50 years experience manufacturing zero-emission buses. It actively advocates for industry interoperability, and this year, became the first licensee outside the Volvo Group to join OppCharge in North America. Earlier in 2018, it joined CharIN to support industry charging standards for all electric vehicles, became the first bus manufacturer in the world to sign on to the Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities, and celebrated the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium ("CUTRIC") launch of the Pan-Canadian Electric Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial – the world's first multi-manufacturer interoperability demonstration for fast-charge electric buses – of which New Flyer was a contributing member.

About NFI

With nearly 6,000 team members, operating from 31 facilities across Canada and the United States, NFI is North America's largest bus manufacturer providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under several brands: New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), MCI^® (motor coaches), and NFI Parts™ (parts, support, and service). NFI buses incorporate the widest range of drive systems available including: clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, and zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell). For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, NFI posted revenues of US $2.4 billion. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information are available at www.nfigroup.com.

About New Flyer

New Flyer is North America's heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product line under the Xcelsior^® and Xcelsior CHARGE™ brands. New Flyer actively supports over 44,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 7,300 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,600 are zero-emission. Further information is available at www.newflyer.com.

About CUTRIC

The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) supports projects that develop the next-generation of mobility and transportation technologies for Canadians. These advancements help grow Canada's low-carbon and "smart" technology ecosystem, leading to long term job growth and economic development. CUTRIC's vision is to make Canada a global leader in low-carbon smart mobility technologies across heavy-duty and light-duty platforms, including advanced transit, transportation, and integrated mobility applications; working to support the commercialization of technologies through industry-led collaborative research, development, demonstration, and integration (RDD&I) projects.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of NFI Group that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services, customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses, the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential impact of these factors, the NFI Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.      

SOURCE New Flyer Industries Inc.

Lindy Norris, P: 204.792.8424, [email protected]