LA Metro orders 200 electric buses from ENC

The LA Metro has awarded ENC a contract to supply 220 40-foot AXESS EVO-BE battery electric buses. The order is the largest made for 40-foot battery electric buses by a US transit agency.

The contract, which was approved by the LA Metro Board on 24 September, is worth US$337.7 million and also includes options for up to 1600 additional buses. The vehicles are due to arrive ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and form part of LA Metro’s plan to transition its entire fleet to zero emissions by 2030.

The EVO-BE uses BAE Systems’ Gen 3 electric drive system and can be equipped with up to 738 kWh of battery storage. LA Metro estimates each vehicle will have a range of between 174 to 250 miles (280 to 402 kilometres) depending on configuration and operating conditions.

All 220 buses for the order will be built at ENC’s 227,000-sq-ft facility in Jurupa Valley, California. In a statement, ENC said that the award “supports good manufacturing jobs at ENC, whose national supplier network includes companies employing hundreds of people in Los Angeles County and Southern California.

LA Metro is the USA’s second-largest transit agency and the main public transport provider for Los Angeles County. This new order builds on ENC’s existing relationship with LA Metro and comes just as the California-based manufacturer expands its electric bus offering.

In 2022, electrive reported that ENC had selected Proterra batteries for the AXESS EVO-BE, with the company offering the model in 32-, 35-, and 40-foot configurations and up to 738 kWh of energy storage. ENC has also partnered with InductEV to offer wireless charging for its battery-electric models, deploying an inductive system capable of delivering up to 450 kW power.

This also marks further electrification of LA’s Olympic fleet. Last year, the city selected Highland Electric Fleets as the official provider of electric school buses for the 2028 Games, announcing that 500 of its vehicles will be deployed as stakeholder transport for the Olympics. Overall, the state of California has committed to investing $202 million in around 143 clean transport projects with a focus on public transit.