During a recent visit to the New Flyer of America manufacturing plant, Vice President Kamala Harris praised New Flyer electric buses as a “model of American innovation and key to the future of public transportation in America.”
Her tour of the manufacturing facility in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Feb. 9 included a demonstration of the New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE NG electric buses—the most advanced electric bus available in the country.
Harris saw the assembly of American-made battery packages used in New Flyer electric buses. She also delivered an address to NFI team members and guests.
‘Buses are essential’
“Buses are our nation’s most popular form of public transportation,” the vice president said. “Every day, millions of Americans ride the bus to go to work, to church, to the grocery store, to wherever they need to go. Buses are essential, and they are in desperate need of upgrade. The electric buses being built in this factory are a model of American innovation and key to the future of public transportation.
“In 2009, then-Vice President Joe Biden stood in this plant, when at the time you were building cutting-edge hybrid electric buses, and said, ‘NFI is an example of the future.’ A lot has changed in the last 14 years, but one thing has not; you are still an example of America’s future.”
Paul Soubry, NFI President and Chief Executive Officer, described the vice president’s visit as an opportunity to highlight the latest innovations in bus transportation.
“It was fantastic to host Vice President Harris at our New Flyer facility in Minnesota, providing us with an opportunity to showcase our incredible team, our facility, and our industry-leading solutions,” Soubry said.
“The benefits of the Biden-Harris administration’s record investments in public transportation were on display as we walked our production floor and sat on buses destined for cities across America. We were also able to discuss opportunities for the administration to assist our manufacturing industry as we recover from the effects of global supply disruption and prolonged inflation.”
