The New Flyer Xcelsior is a line of

transit bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...

es available in 35-foot rigid, 40-foot rigid, and 60-foot

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent coupling in its construction. This coupling works as a large pivot joint, allowing it to bend and turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buse ...

nominal lengths manufactured by

New Flyer Industries New Flyer is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing facilities in Can ...

since 2008. In addition to the different available lengths, the buses are sold with a variety of propulsion systems: conventional

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in ...

(CNG), diesel-electric hybrid, hydrogen

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

, overhead electric wire (Trolleybus) and battery electric. A future

autonomous bus Vehicular automation is using technology to assist or replace the operator of a vehicle such as a car, truck, aircraft, rocket, military vehicle, or boat. Assisted vehicles are ''semi-autonomous'', whereas vehicles that can travel without a ...

variant was announced in January 2021.

Model codes

For example, a New Flyer XE40 CHARGE NG is a 40-foot (nominal) rigid Next Generation Xcelsior with battery-electric power, or an XN60 is a 60-foot articulated Original Generation Xcelsior with CNG power. All power sources have 40- and 60-foot models, but not all power sources have 35-foot models: XHE35s (hydrogen-powered) and XT35s (trolleybus) do not exist.

History

The Xcelsior was introduced October 2008 APTA Expo held in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. The Xcelsior started off as a set of improvements to the company's prior product, the

New Flyer Low Floor The New Flyer Low Floor is a line of low-floor transit buses that was manufactured by New Flyer Industries between 1991 and 2014. It was available in 30-foot rigid, 35-foot rigid, 40-foot rigid, and 60-foot articulated lengths. In addition to ...

, but over the development process the company said it ended up designing a new bus. Compared to the Low Floor, the Xcelsior was 10% lighter, boosting fuel economy by about 7%. The bus was also designed to allow a much larger cooling system and the addition of a SCR system, both required to meet the more stringent EPA mandates that were coming in 2010. To accommodate the change, the

Thermo King Thermo King is an American manufacturer of transport temperature control systems for refrigerator trucks and trailers, refrigerated containers and refrigerated railway cars along with heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for bus and ...

air conditioning system was moved from the rear of the bus to a roof mount location over the front axle. New Flyer found that the move improved the weight balance of the bus, and when combined with enhanced insulation, contributed to the vehicle running quieter. The interior of the bus was also modified. By moving the fuel tank and modifying the rear suspension, seating capacity was increased from 39 to 42 (on the 40-foot model), with more forward-facing seats. To improve accessibility, the floor height was lowered to with the ability to

kneel Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. According to Merriam-Webster, kneeling is defined as "to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor". Kneeling with only one knee, and not both, is ca ...

down to , and the front entry door was widened, allowing a wider wheelchair ramp. To improve interior aesthetics, visible fasteners were eliminated and molded plastic surfaces were introduced. The utilitarian instrument panel was replaced with an automotive-style electronic dashboard. The bus also had a redesigned front face, bumpers, and roof shrouds that also offered better aerodynamics and the front improved visibility for the driver. At launch, the Xcelsior was only available in a length with power from the Cummins ISL 280 and a Allison B400 conventional transmission or the Allison EP-40 hybrid drive.

Brampton Transit Brampton Transit (BT) is a public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974. In , the system had ...

, serving

Brampton, Ontario Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

, was the first agency to order the Xcelsior. The first

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

version of the Xcelsior was an XT40 built in 2014 for the Seattle trolleybus system, operated by

King County Metro King County Metro, officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro, is the public transit authority of King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle. It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in t ...

, the first unit of an order placed in 2013. King County Metro also purchased the XT60 (articulated trolleybus), and both XT40s and XT60s were subsequently purchased by the

San Francisco Municipal Railway The San Francisco Municipal Railway (SF Muni or Muni ) is the primary public transit system within San Francisco, California. It operates a system of List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines, bus routes (including Trolleybuses in San Franc ...

, for the San Francisco trolleybus system. In August 2024, New Flyer quietly updated their brochure to say that beginning with the 2026 model year, the XDE60 will be discontinued as New Flyer was unable to find a powertrain compliant with new regulations taking effect around that time. With the 2027 model year, the XDE35 will be discontinued due to projected low demand. New Flyer originally planned to simultaneously discontinue the XN35 for the same reason, but they would quietly reverse their decision in May 2025.

Xcelsior CHARGE

Full Spokane City Line bus charging at SCC transit center October 2023

The first Xcelsior

battery electric bus A battery electric bus is an electric bus that is driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries. Many trolleybuses use batteries as an auxiliary or emergency power source. Battery electric buses offer the potential for z ...

es (XE40) were built in 2014 and delivered to the

Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...

and

Winnipeg Transit Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency, and the bus-service provider, of the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Established years ago, it is owned by the city government and currently employs nearly 1,600 people—including approximately 1, ...

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

was the lead agency for the XE60, ordered in January 2019 and placed into service on July 31, 2019. The

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...

operates 25 XE40 buses. The first battery electric Xcelsior buses were a powertrain option within the regular Xcelsior line; development was announced in 2011, a prototype was shown in 2012, and regular production began in 2014. The original battery electric Xcelsior bus, offered as an XE40, used a permanent magnet traction motor built by Siemens. In October 2017, the Xcelsior CHARGE sub-line was introduced. The Xcelsior CHARGE variant (XE) uses the

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

ELFA2 electric drive system with different options for battery capacity, depending on the charging speed and range required. The traction motor used has an output of either and . Batteries are supplied by XALT Energy or

A123 Systems A123 Systems, LLC, a subsidiary of the Chinese Wanxiang Group Holdings, is a developer and manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate batteries and energy storage systems. The company was founded in 2001 by Yet-Ming Chiang, Bart Riley, and Ric Fu ...

(XE60 long-range models and XHE''nn'' fuel cell models). On-route rapid charging is provided through an overhead pantograph designed to be interoperable with the

SAE J3105 SAE J3105 is a recommended practice for automated connection devices (ACD) that mate chargers with battery electric buses and heavy-duty vehicles. The practice is maintained by the SAE International with the formal title "Electric Vehicle Power Tr ...

standard supplying 300–450 kW. Shop or depot charging may be performed using

SAE J3068 SAE J3068 "Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System Using a Three-Phase Capable Coupler" is a North American recommended practice published and maintained by SAE International. J3068 defines electrical connectors and a control protocol for elec ...

and J1772 connectors supplying up to 150 kW. At Altoona, the as-tested empty weight of an XE40 was measured at with a capacity of 76 (38 seated passengers + 37 standing passengers + 1 driver) for a total

GVW Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity. Curb or kerb weight Curb weight (American English) or k ...

of . It was equipped with 4 XALT Xsyst 7 (7 kWh) batteries and a SPHEROS fuel-fired heater. When accelerating from a constant speed, the bus emitted an average maximum noise level of 66.1

dB(A) A-weighting is a form of frequency weighting and the most commonly used of a family of curves defined in the International standard IEC 61672:2003 and various national standards relating to the measurement of sound pressure level. A-weighti ...

, considerably lower than the average maximum noise level of 70.4 dB(A) measured from a conventionally-powered XD40.

XE60

G Line bus charging at North Hollywood station

The articulated XE60 adds a second driven axle, using the ZF AxTrax AVE on the middle axle. The AxTrax AVE (formerly known as the AVE 130) uses two electric motors (one per wheel), each with a maximum continuous/peak output of and maximum continuous/peak torque of . Each motor is an asynchronous three-phase AC motor operating on 650 VDC with an input current of 250 (continuous) to 340 (peak) amps, using a single-speed reduction gear ratio of 22.66:1. The complete axle assembly weighs The as-tested empty weight of an XE60 was with a capacity of 120 (50 seated passengers + 69 standing passengers + 1 driver) for a total

of . Compared to the diesel-powered equivalent XD60, the XE60 is heavier (XD60 GVW is ) and holds slightly fewer people (XD60 capacity is 123 people: 49 seated, 73 standing, 1 driver). Depending on the driving route/style, the XE60 tested at Altoona had a predicted range of . The

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

and NYMTA were the first to order the XE60, with the former ordering 5 and the latter ordering 15.

Xcelsior CHARGE NG

Xcelsior CHARGE NG is New Flyer's next generation battery electric, zero-emission bus. It is lighter, simpler and has longer range with better energy recovery. It has a capacity of 32-61 passengers with 2 wheelchair locations. It is available in 35-, 40-, and 60-foot configurations. It has a

ELFA3 traction motor, Lithium Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries, and electric roof-mounted HVAC(s).

Xcelsior CHARGE H2

The CHARGE model can be equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell (model code XHE), which acts as an on-board charger to extend range. Earlier New Flyer fuel cell buses were based on the preceding

Low Floor Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname) Low is an English language, English and Languages of Scotland, Scottish surname. It is also a common surname found among Overseas Chinese language, Chinese communities around the world. ...

chassis, designated H40LFR, and integrated by an outside vendor. In 2016, New Flyer received an order for 25 XHE40 buses under the

California Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is an agency of the government of California that aims to reduce air pollution. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air S ...

Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). The XHE40 uses a

MAN SE MAN SE (abbreviation of ''Maschinenfabrik Augsburg- Nürnberg'', ) was a manufacturing and engineering company based in Munich, Germany. Its primary output was commercial vehicles and diesel engines through its MAN Truck & Bus and MAN Latin ...

model 1350 rear axle with a traction motor from Siemens; like the XE60, the XHE60 also uses a MAN 1350 rear axle as a pusher, but adds a ZF AxTrax AVE middle axle as a puller for traction-challenged conditions. An XHE60 tested at Altoona weighed empty; with a total capacity of 132 (1 driver, 50 seated, 81 standing), the estimated GVW was . The fuel cell was a Ballard HD85 with an 85 kW output. Development of the electric fuel cell buses is centered in California, with

AC Transit AC Transit is the main Public transport bus service, bus transit operator in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. AC Transit is the third largest bus operator in California, serving the western portions of Alameda and C ...

serving as the lead agency for one XHE60, and

SunLine Transit Agency SunLine Transit Agency is a transit operator in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, providing bus service to more than 3.5 million passengers per year in the Palm Springs Area. Service extends into San B ...

, AC Transit, and

Orange County Transportation Authority The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for ...

testing several variants of XHE40.

Xcelsior AV

New Flyer and Robotic Research announced a partnership in May 2019 to develop automated bus technology. In January 2021, New Flyer introduced the Xcelsior AV, New Flyer's first ever autonomous bus. New Flyer claims the AV meets the SAE J3016 Level 4 of autonomy. The AV is based on the XE40 chassis, and uses Robotic Research's AutoDrive suite of sensors and AutoDrive ByWire mechanical actuators. Project management was performed by The Center for Transportation and Environment (CTE) with support from the

Federal Transit Administration The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...

, who provided a million grant under the Integrated Mobility Innovation Program. The first three Xcelsior AV buses are scheduled to be tested by

CTtransit CT Transit (styled as CT''transit'') is a public transportation bus system serving many metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs in the state of Connecticut. CT Transit is a division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, alth ...

in 2021 on the

CTfastrak CTfastrak (constructed as the New Britain-Hartford Busway) is a regional bus rapid transit system currently operating between downtown Hartford and Downtown New Britain station in New Britain in central Connecticut. Operated by Connecticut Tr ...

bus rapid transit (BRT) line, over a dedicated right-of-way long, connecting

New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...

and

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. The deployment on a BRT line is anticipated to test the vehicles' ability to perform precision docking at station platforms and platooning multiple vehicles.

Gallery

File:4953 M86.jpg, XE60, NYMTA File:6098 M60.jpg, XD60, NYMTA File:WMATA New Flyer Xcelsior XE40.jpg, XE40,

WMATA The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...

Metrobus Metrobus may refer to: Transport services Bus Rapid Transit *MetroBus (Bristol), a bus rapid transit system in Bristol, England, United Kingdom *Metrobus (Buenos Aires), a bus rapid transit system in Buenos Aires, Argentina *Metrobus (Istanbul), a ...

File:TriMet XE40 electric bus 3803 charging at Sunset TC on line 62 (2019).jpg, alt=An XE40 being charged by an overhead charger, XE40,

TriMet The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) is a Transit district, transit agency that serves most of the Oregon part of the Portland metropolitan area. Created in 1969 by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, Oregon legi ...

File:GBT NFI 3712.jpg, XD35,

Greater Bridgeport Transit Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) is a Mass transit, transit service serving the Greater Bridgeport region of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Greater Bridgeport Transit was established in 1971 in anticipation of diminished bus service by the Connec ...

File:SEPTA bus 3061 at JFK Boulevard and 15th Street.jpeg, XDE40,

SEPTA SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...

File:MBTA route SL5 bus on Washington Street, April 2017.jpg, XDE60,

Silver Line File:AC Transit bus FC17 at Fruitvale BART on the 54 line.jpg, XHE40,

File:Seattle New Flyer trolleybus 4324 on Madison St at 2nd Ave (2015).jpg, XT40,

File:Muni route 5 trolleybus at Transbay Transit Center, September 2019.jpg, XT60, SF Muni File:New Flyer XN40 LF MTA NYC Bus b.n. 755.jpg, XN40, NYMTA File:Blank New Flyer XD40.jpg, Blank XD40 in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

File:WpgTransitBLUE.jpg, XD60,

File:Omaha Metro Transit 1909.jpg, XN60,

Metro Transit (Omaha) Metro Transit, previously known as Metro Area Transit, is the Public transport, mass transportation provider for Omaha, Nebraska. Metro currently operates around 135 buses throughout the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, including Bellev ...

File:SCT Route 66 -7029 Bellport.jpg, XDE35,

Suffolk County Transit Suffolk County Transit is the provider of bus services in Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island and is an agency of the Suffolk County government. It was founded in 1980 as a county-run oversight and funding agency for a group of private con ...

File:Left side of Spokane Transit 60-foot BEB laying over at Hastings Park and Ride October 2023.jpg, XE60, Spokane Transit File:DART 1621 interior.jpg, XD40 interior,

DART Dart or DART may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dart ...

File:New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE 60-foot electric bus interior.jpg, XE60 interior, Spokane Transit File:Interior of a New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE.jpg, XE40 interior,

File:Silver Line at Northwest Transit Center.jpg, XD60,

METRORapid Silver Line The METRORapid Silver Line is a bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Houston, Texas operated by Houston Metro, METRO. Opened August 23, 2020, the line connects the Uptown Houston, Uptown area of Houston, with dedicated lanes over nearly the entire l ...

References

External links

* {{cite web , url=https://www.newflyer.com/site-content/uploads/2017/09/729-NFL-Xcelsior-Final.pdf , title=xcelsior® , publisher=New Flyer , date=September 2017 , access-date=December 10, 2018 *Xcelsior NG: https://www.newflyer.com/bus/xcelsior-charge-ng/

Brochures

Xcelsior family overview

Xcelsior AV

Xcelsior CHARGE H2

Xcelsior CHARGE NG

Xcelsior Clean Diesel

Xcelsior CNG

Xcelsior Hybrid-Electric

Xcelsior Trolley-Electric
Buses of Canada Buses of the United States

Xcelsior The New Flyer Xcelsior is a line of transit buses available in 35-foot rigid bus, rigid, 40-foot rigid, and 60-foot articulated bus, articulated nominal lengths manufactured by New Flyer Industries since 2008. In addition to the different availa ...

Vehicles introduced in 2008 Articulated buses Fuel cell buses Battery electric buses Low-floor buses