Earth Day 2020 marks an MCI milestone

The MCI Service Center at 4120 Point Eden Way serves some of the biggest public and private motor coach markets in the country and is the kickoff point for MCI’s move into all-electric vehicles. The MCI J4500e CHARGE will bring zero emissions capability to the market, with deliveries planned later in 2020. And in 2021, MCI will begin deliveries of the battery-electric D45 CRTe LE CHARGE, featuring the revolutionary patented LE (Low Entry) vestibule with a seating area and ramp that significantly improves dwell times and the boarding and rider experience.

In Hayward, MCI is also unveiling its very first ABB HVC (high voltage charger) – it’s a 150c e-Bus charger with depot box converting 480 Volts AC (3-phase) fed from the service center to the charger, which converts it to 200 amps DC for either hybrid or electrical buses based on the CCS Charging Standard. The station is expected to be fully operational by June.

MCI plans to make its battery-electric J4500e first full production model available for demonstrations at the same time to the many companies running employee shuttles in the San Francisco Bay Area ‒as many already use J4500 clean-diesel powered coaches daily, transporting tech professionals to Silicon Valley.

Earth Day and MCI

The very first Earth Day was celebrated 50 years ago in the United States on April 22,1970.

Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, an environmentalist, is credited for ushering in the grassroots environmental movement created to increase ecological awareness, leading to the July 1970 establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate and enforce national pollution legislation with an emphasis on reducing carbon emissions from America’s roads.

Since then, motor coach bus travel has continued to rank as the most favorable mode of transportation for lowest emissions per passenger mile when compared to trains, planes and automobiles, as noted as far back as a 2008 NPR report, a 2014 meteorologist’s calculations from a Greyhound bus trip, and a more recent 2018 National Geographic feature article on the carbon foot print efficiency of all modes of transportation.

The industry has kept pace with the series of EPA-compliant clean-diesel engine emission improvements since 2007. Today’s more efficient, lightweight Cummins X12 engine and the MCI eFan system combine to deliver even greater fuel economy improvement and a new standard in low total cost of operation.

MCI and the Highway to Electric

TMCI’s battery electric platform includes electric-driven components throughout, from electric heat and AC systems to power steering. It features a high-torque Siemens electric drive train and energy storage system (ESS) based on the 63 Ah lithium ion (NMC) ultra-high energy cell by XALT for an estimated 544 kWh of on-board energy for the J4500e, with recharging in under four hours, and 388.5 kWh for the D45 CRTe LE, enabling high-power plug-in battery recharging in under three hours. The J4500e boasts a range well over 200 miles, with regenerative braking for energy efficiency and solid stopping power in extensive field tests.

MCI’s all-electric move is also supported by sister company’s New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions,™ a full suite of services that help plan deployment of fast-charging stations by route specifications to meet each customer’s need.

About NFI

With 9,000 team members operating from more than 50 facilities across ten countries, NFI is a leading independent global bus manufacturer providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under brands: New Flyer® (heavy-duty transit buses), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), MCI® (motor coaches), ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™. NFI buses and motor coaches 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). In total, NFI now supports over 105,000 buses and coaches currently in service around the world. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information are available at www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.arbocsv.com, www.alexander-dennis.com, and nfi.parts.

About MCI

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) is North America’s public and private market motor coach leader, building the J4500 (the industry best-seller for 14 consecutive years), the all-new 35-foot J3500 model, and the workhorse D-Series including the breakthrough ADA-accessible MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coach offering lower dwell times. MCI will add battery-electric propulsion in 2020. With nearly 30,000 MCI coaches on the road, MCI also provides maintenance, repair, 24-hour roadside assistance, parts supply through NFI Parts, and technician training through the industry’s only Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) accredited MCI Academy.

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