Nova Bus

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Nova Bus
NovaBusLogo.jpg
Company Type Private
Foundation 1993
Location Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada
Area Served Canada, United States
Parent Volvo Buses
Industry Bus manufacturing
Products Transit buses
Homepage www.novabus.com

Nova Bus is a bus manufacturer based in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volvo Buses.

History

The original logo used by Nova Bus until 2002. Many Nova vehicles built through 2002 still carry this logo. Note: Exact font used may differ from the actual font.

In 1979, General Motors (GM) began production of their New Look transit bus in St-Eustache, Quebec after they were awarded a 1200-unit order for the province's transit agencies.[1] GM introduced the Classic in 1982 as the successor to the New Look, which continued to be produced alongside the Classic for four more years. When GM decided to exit the transit bus market, Motor Coach Industries purchased their transit bus division in 1987 and continued production of the Classic in St-Eustache. By the early 1990s, Dial, which owned MCI, intended to sell their transportation manufacturing and service divisions. The St-Eustache facility was faced with closure.[2]

Nova Bus was formed in 1993 by individuals from Nova Quintech and the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec to acquire MCI's St-Eustache facility and continue producing buses. Nova Quintech was formed two years earlier after a group of investors purchased the assets of the bankrupt fire truck manufacturer Camions Pierre Thibault Inc. The Government of Quebec agreed to contribute a $2.5-million, interest-free loan, and $10 million in loan guarantees. In addition, they agreed to purchase over 300 buses between 1993 and 1994.[2] The sale of the MCI's St-Eustache operations occurred on July 6, 1993.[3]

MCI, including Transportation Manufacturing Corporation (TMC), was spun-off from Dial in 1993, and in 1994, merged with DINA SA. Not long after, DINA sold TMC's assets to Nova Bus in October 1994. Nova acquired the Roswell, New Mexico and Schenectady, New York facilities.[4] They continued to produce the popular RTS transit bus, and completed final assembly of the Classic to meet Buy America requirements.

Early on, Nova Bus began development of a low floor transit bus. A Den Oudsten Bussen Alliance City bus was imported to Quebec for evaluation. In a transfer of technology, Nova Bus used the Alliance as a basis for their LFS. At the annual meeting of the American Public Transportation Association in 1994, Nova formally unveiled the LFS. The LFS stood out in North America with its sloping front, large single-piece windshield, and round headlights. Production began in 1996, with the first buses going to the Société de transport de la communauté urbaine de Montréal.

At the end of 1997, Volvo announced that its subsidiary Prevost Car would purchase Nova Bus. Both Prevost and Nova became wholly-owned subsidiaries of Volvo in 2004.

Nova Bus ended production of the last Classic in 1997, but continued production of the RTS until 2003. Due to poor sales, Nova Bus withdrew from the United States market and closed the Roswell, New Mexico and Schenectady, New York plant in 2002.

On February 2, 2008, Nova Bus announced plans for the construction of a new assembly plant in Plattsburgh, New York.[5] It is located relatively close to the Canadian boarder and in the state with America's largest transit agency. The plant was officially open on June 15, 2009, marking Nova Bus's return to the US market.[6] The facility was expanded in 2014 to include a production line for Prevost coaches after they were awarded a contract for 300 X3-45 commuter coaches by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[7]

Electro Mobility and Smart Bus features

Electro Mobility is a system of electric transit solutions designed to increase efficiency and decrease environmental impact. Nova launched their Electro Mobility concept at the 2011 APTA EXPO in New Orleans. The system includes electric accessories and different electric propulsion options such as fully electric, plug-in hybrid electric, electro-magnetic induction, and electric trolleybus. It was also at this time that Nova Bus presented their battery-electric powered LFSe.

Nova Bus first offered electric engine cooling on their LFS in 2009, with such example as a retrofit on an STM hybrid bus using EMP's miniHYBRID system. In 2011, Nova announced their SMART BUS concept which centred on their own eCooling electric engine cooling system. This includes a Modine radiator. More electric accessories became available such as electric power steering and HVAC. Other features were later promoted under the SMART BUS moniker. These included the new interior design, a new rear design incorporating a 2013 Cummins engine, HePEX tubing, and thermoplastic skirt panels (which have been offered since the introduction of the LFS). Nova's parent Volvo has used the HePEX tubing system (crosslinked polyethylene tubing) for a number of years in their buses.

Facilities

  • St-François-du-Lac (155 Boul. Marie-Victorin, St-François-du-Lac, Quebec) - manufactures LFS structures and several other parts and components for both assembly plants[8]
  • Saint-Eustache (1000 Boul. Industriel, St-Eustache, Quebec) - Headquarters, as well as full assembly of LFS'[9]
  • Plattsburgh (260 Banker Rd., Plattsburgh, NY) - full assembly of LFS' for USA customers[10]

Current products

  • LFS - 40 foot low floor transit bus with standard diesel drivetrain. Launched in 1995. Available in Suburban and Shuttle configurations since 2005.
    • LFSe - 40 foot low floor transit bus with electric drivetrain. Launched in 2011.
    • LFS HEV - 40 foot low floor transit bus with diesel electric hybrid drivetrain. Launched in 2006.
    • LFS Natural Gas - 40 foot low floor transit bus with compressed natural gas drivetrain. Launched in 2013.
  • LFS Artic - 62 foot low floor articulated transit bus. Launched in 2008.
  • LFX - BRT styling. Launched in 2008.

Past products

See also

References

  1. Ross, Nancy L. Businessmen in Quebec: Public Enemies, "Men Without Souls," "Sellouts," or Worse?Is Businessmen Quebec's Public Enemy? 17 March 1978. The Washington Post.
  2. 2.0 2.1 MÉMOIRE DES DÉLIBÉRATIONS DU CONSEIL EXÉCUTIF SÉANCE DU 31 MARS 1993.
  3. "Bus Maker Wins Order, Rehires: FINAL Edition." The Gazette, 1993.
  4. SAUNDERS, JOHN. "Novabus Acquires U.S. Bus Maker More Layoffs at Ontario Bus." The Globe and Mail, 1994.
  5. Heath, Dan (02 February 2008). Bus-assembly plant proposed for Plattsburgh. Press Republican (Plattsburgh). Retrieved on 03 August 2009.
  6. Nova Bus’ Plattsburgh plant officially open (Press release). Nova Bus. 15 June 2009. Retrieved on 03 August 2009.
  7. Governor Cuomo Announces Prevost Begins Production of MTA Buses in Newly Expanded Facility in Plattsburgh. Press release. 22 December 2014.
  8. Facilities – St-François-du-Lac, novabus.com. Retrieved on 03 August 2009.
  9. Facilities – St-Eustache, novabus.com. Retrieved on 03 August 2009.
  10. Facilities – Plattsburgh, novabus.com. Retrieved on 03 August 2009.

External links


Nova Bus
v·d·e
NovaBusLogo.jpg
Low
Floor
Series
LFS Transit · LFS Suburban · LFS Shuttle · LFS HEV · LFS Natural Gas · LFSe · LFSe+ · LFS Artic · LFX
Rapid
Transit
Series
RTS-06 · RTS-06 WFD
Classic TC40-102N · TC60-102N
v·d·e
Transit Buses
Types Articulated Bus · Bus Rapid Transit · Double Decker Bus · Low Floor Bus · Highway Coach · Shuttle Bus · Trolley Bus
Fuel Compressed Natural Gas · Diesel · Diesel-Electric Hybrid · Gasoline · Hydrogen Fuel Cell · Liquified Natural Gas
Manufacturers Alexander Dennis · Blue Bird · BYD Auto · Commercial Truck Equipment Co. · ElDorado National · Environmental Performance Vehicles · Ford · Gillig · IC Bus · Motor Coach Industries · New Flyer Industries · North American Bus Industries · Nova Bus · Optima Bus · Orion International · Prevost Car · Proterra · Scania · Setra · Stewart & Stevenson · Thomas Built Buses · Van Hool · Volvo Buses
VIN Pages Alexander Dennis · American Ikarus · AM General · APS Systems · Blue Bird · BYD Auto · Champion · Crown Coach Corporation · Crown Ikarus · Designline · Eagle · Ebus · ElDorado National · Environmental Performance Vehicles · Flxible · Flyer Industries · Ford · General Motors · Gillig · Graf & Stift · Greenpower Motor Company · IC Bus · Ikarus USA · Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg · Millennium Transit Services · Motor Coach Industries · National Coach Corporation · Neoplan USA · New Flyer Industries · North American Bus Industries · Nova Bus · Optima Bus · Orion Bus Industries · Prevost Car · Proterra · Saab-Scania · Setra · Stewart & Stevenson · TEMSA · Thomas Built Buses · Transportation Manufacturing Corporation · TransBus International · Van Hool · Volvo Buses · Western Flyer Coach