Cummins is preparing to deliver a package in the form of the 100th battery electric transit bus in collaboration with GILLIG. This delivery is in route to Metro Transit in St. Louis, Mo.
“This is a great milestone for Cummins, GILLIG and Metro Transit, but we are just getting started,” said Amy Davis, vice president and resident of New Power at Cummins. “The adoption of zero-emissions technologies is critical to meeting sustainability targets and neutralizing climate change. Cummins is here to partner with customers to decarbonize and is committed to providing battery-electric solutions with the innovation, support and service that customers expect from Cummins.”
Cummins first announced its electrified partnership with GILLIG in 2017. Since unveiling its first battery electric transit bus and delivering it to Santa Monica, Calif., in 2019, the companies have worked together to ensure the bus builds upon the legacy of excellence and proven transit performance of the more than 27,000 GILLIG buses in service throughout the United States today, Cummins said.
“We’re thrilled that our 100th electric bus is going to Metro, an agency that we have partnered closely with for over two decades,” said GILLIG President and CEO Derek Maunus. “This milestone is the result of the passionate effort of the entire GILLIG organization over the past five years. I couldn’t be more proud of our team. Our electric bus continues to set the standard for excellence in reliability, durability, cost effectiveness and performance.”
GILLIG’s current electric bus is a second-generation product built on the company’s proven Low Floor Platform and utilizes the Cummins Battery Electric System, featuring remote diagnostics and over-the-air connectivity. The system is backed by Cummins’ extensive support network of qualified technicians across the nation, further demonstrating the continued dedication to the quality customers expect, the company said.
The bus has endured rigorous engineering and validation testing to meet customer needs on all fronts, including hot and cold testing, before going into production. In July, the battery electric bus completed testing with Federal Transit Administration’s Test Program in Altoona, Pa., where it scored exceptionally well in all measurement categories and stood out especially for durability and performance, the company said.
