DesignLine Corp. says it has completed federal Altoona testing of its 45-foot compressed natural gas (CNG) coach bus, positioning the company to begin larger-scale deployment of these natural gas vehicles.
Public transportation agency NJ TRANSIT had been testing the bus, called the EcoCoach, in regular revenue service. Following completion of Altoona testing, NJ TRANSIT gave DesignLine the green light to manufacture 76 of the CNG buses, which was the number specified in the organizations' original contract.
‘This bus was designed and built to meet every challenge that might come its way on the road, and completing the grueling and comprehensive Altoona testing proves we succeeded in that effort,’ says Joseph Smith, president of DesignLine. ‘This bus has been put through every test possible and has performed extremely well.’
The Altoona Bus Testing and Research Center provides bus manufacturers and the Federal Transit Administration with unbiased data regarding new vehicles. Testing covers areas such as safety, reliability, performance and fuel economy.
DesignLine was founded in 1985 in New Zealand and relocated to headquarters in the U.S. in 2006.
