NFI Group Inc. announces delivery of the 1,500th electric bus from the BYD–Alexander Dennis partnership

LARBERT, United Kingdom, Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF, TSX: NFI.DB) NFI Group Inc. (“NFI” or the “Company”), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, subsidiary Alexander Dennis Limited (“Alexander Dennis”) and BYD UK jointly announced today that their electric vehicle partnership has officially delivered its 1,500th electric bus, a BYD–Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV for Go-Ahead London.

The 1,500th BYD–Alexander Dennis electric bus is one of nearly 300 joining Go-Ahead London this year for routes in the capital. Allocated to Merton Garage with fleet number SEe199, it has been in service on Transport for London routes 163 and 164 since May. It has now been officially handed over to Go-Ahead London’s managing team by representatives of BYD and Alexander Dennis in a small celebration at the depot.

Go-Ahead is London’s largest bus company and the UK’s most experienced operator of electric buses. It has worked closely with BYD and Alexander Dennis since 2016, when it took delivery of 51 Enviro200EV for its globally recognised and multi-award-winning Waterloo site, which was the first bus depot in Europe to be fully converted to electric operation.

With a total of 577 Enviro200EV single deckers and Enviro400EV double deckers delivered or on order, Go-Ahead London is the partnership’s largest single customer.

BYD UK Managing Director, Frank Thorpe, said: “This is a significant handover for all involved and Go-Ahead London is to be applauded for its commitment to electric bus fleets, setting an excellent precedent for eco-friendly public bus services. Climate change is upon us, and Go-Ahead London is showing customers that it is taking proactive steps to address this. The delivery of 1500 electric buses clearly reflects the benefits of zero-emission electric bus operations, and the role they play in reducing carbon pollution in our towns and cities. BYD has been dedicated to electric bus innovation for over a decade, and we are proud that our pioneering technology is contributing to the success of our electric bus partnership with Alexander Dennis in the UK. Together, we have been delighted to support Go-Ahead London with its electric bus fleet requirements.”

Alexander Dennis’s National Account Manager for London, Neil Gladstone, commented: “It is testament to the success of our innovative partnership with BYD that we are now handing over the 1,500th electric bus. This milestone would not have been possible without the commitment from operators such as Go-Ahead London. Richard Harrington and his team have consistently led the industry by showing what is possible, from the first electric bus depot through opportunity charging to the current fast pace of zero-emission bus rollout.”

David Cutts, Go-Ahead London Managing Director, said: “The pioneer BYD–Alexander Dennis buses at Waterloo quickly demonstrated zero emission was viable for the capital and immediately proved popular with passengers, drivers and engineers. It is fitting that the 1,500th BYD–Alexander Dennis electric bus was delivered to us and is providing clean public transport for users in the Morden, Raynes Park, Sutton and Wimbledon areas on routes 163 and 164. My congratulations to all involved in this success story, including Transport for London, whose vision is delivering cleaner air across our city. I also pay tribute to Richard Harrington for his outstanding leadership in this area for over a decade.”

Richard Harrington, Engineering Director at The Go-Ahead Group and Head of its ZE Centre of Excellence, added: “BYD and Alexander Dennis deserve credit for creating what has proved to be a very popular product across the capital and elsewhere. This has enabled Go-Ahead London to make good progress in decarbonising its vehicles and by the end of this year it is scheduled to operate approximately 600 EVs, around a quarter of its overall bus fleet.”

Over the past seven years, the combination of BYD’s reliable battery technology and Alexander Dennis’s expertise in body design and specification has paved the way for the large-scale adoption of battery-electric buses in the United Kingdom.

The single deck Enviro200EV is available in a choice of four lengths ranging from 9.6m to 12m, while the double deck Enviro400EV is available in two versions at 10.3m and 10.8m. They have found favour with operators large and small in a variety of operating environments ranging from busy city services to rural routes and staff shuttles. BYD–Alexander Dennis electric buses have also been sold to Ireland and New Zealand.

NFI is a leader in low- and zero-emission mobility, with vehicles operating in 13 countries, moving millions of people every day. NFI offers the widest range of vehicles including clean diesel, compressed natural gas, diesel electric hybrids, and zero-emission battery- and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches.

High resolution images are available for download from the Alexander Dennis website at alexander-dennis.com/media/news.

About NFI

Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world. With zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and technology, NFI meets today’s urban demands for scalable smart mobility solutions. Together, NFI is enabling more livable cities through connected, clean, and sustainable transportation.

With 7,700 team members in ten countries, NFI is a leading global bus manufacturer of mass mobility solutions under the brands New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), MCI^® (motor coaches), Alexander Dennis Limited (single- and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™. NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and clean diesel. In total, NFI supports its installed base of over 100,000 buses and coaches around the world. NFI’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) under the symbol NFI and its convertible unsecured debentures trade on the TSX under the symbol NFI.DB. News and information is available at www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.nfi.parts, www.alexander-dennis.com, www.arbocsv.com, and www.carfaircomposites.com.

About Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis is a global leader in the design and manufacture of double deck buses and is also the UK’s largest bus and coach manufacturer. Alexander Dennis offers single and double deck vehicles under the brands of Alexander Dennis and Plaxton, and has over 31,000 vehicles in service in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Further information is available at www.alexander-dennis.com.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2c823658-dc0a-4607-8ee6-6c22bec552c4