The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) has awarded a contract to Volvo Group member company Nova Bus for five LFSe+ 40′ battery-electric buses.
These buses will be assembled at the Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and will be part of Metro’s Battery-Electric Bus Test and Evaluation program.
This electric bus pilot program will help to achieve Metro’s zero-emission bus goals, which includes the phased conversion of its fleet of over 1,500 buses to a 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2045, with an interim goal of all new buses entering service at zero-emissions by 2030. The new Nova Bus LFSe+ buses will allow Metro to collect data and build knowledge on electric bus operations to inform scaling of its transition plan.
The LFSe+ features an electric drive motor coupled with BAE Systems’ next-generation power electronics.
“[We’re] happy that these buses will be operating in federal opportunity zones, as low-income communities are the ones that will benefit the most from this transition to clean, quiet and reliable electric buses,” says Ralph Acs, president of Nova Bus.
