LAKE ORION–American Battery Solutions announced yhat it has signed a multi-year contract with leading bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc. to supply custom battery packs that will provide clean power for NFI subsidiary New Flyer’s newest 35-, 40- and 60-foot battery-electric transit buses.
NFI is now launching ABS batteries into bus production for customer deliveries starting in the first quarter of 2024. The Li-Ion batteries were fully designed, tested, and validated by ABS at its engineering and development center in Lake Orion. The production of these batteries will be done at ABS’ plant in Springboro, Ohio.
The market for electric buses in North America has now reached more than 5,480 zero-emission transit buses on the road or on order as of the end of 2022, according to a report called “Zeroing in on ZEBs,” or zero-emission buses, by Calstart, a national clean transportation nonprofit with offices in California, Colorado, Michigan, and New York. NFI expects that 40% of its 2025 production will be zero-emission buses and is leading the evolution to zero-emission public transportation in North America.
“We are excited and proud to partner with NFI, a company at the forefront of electric- powered public transportation,” said American Battery Systems founder, chairman and CEO Subhash Dhar. “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.”
Added NFI CEO Paul Soubry: “Demand for battery-electric buses is accelerating, and NFI is leading the evolution to zero-emission public transportation in North America. 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. Design and engineering have been led from ABS’ Michigan Innovation Center in Lake Orion, with the pack production scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023 at ABS’ Ohio plant. ABS has secured long-term supply agreements for battery cells through the end of the decade.
NFI’s battery and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches have collectively travelled over 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.
Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean, and sustainable mobility solutions through its mobility solution ecosystem, which includes buses and coaches; infrastructure; parts and service; technology; workforce development and training; and vehicle financing. NFI also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center, the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology and providing workforce development. Since opening in late 2017, the VIC has hosted over 350 interactive events, welcoming 7,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training.
American Battery Solutions designs and manufactures modular battery solutions for transportation, industrial and commercial markets primarily in North America and Europe. The team at ABS includes some of the most recognized battery systems experts in the industry, possessing decades of experience in designing, developing, and manufacturing high-volume advanced battery systems. Our experts are now applying this experience to the emerging and rapidly growing transportation segments, concentrating on module production, pack assembly, and customer integration.
ABS operates a 120,000-square-foot technical center in Michigan and a 170,000-square-foot plant in Ohio. It employs more than 250 people in Michigan, Ohio, and Massachusetts. Follow ABS on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.