Riverside, Calif .—Newport Coachworks, a subsidiary of Green Automotive Company, recently generated significant interest for its CNG (Compressed natural gas) and electric shuttle buses at the Government Fleet Expo—better known as GF—which took place in San Diego early June. To see a video of the bus, visit this link.
Carter Read, president of Newport Coachworks, says that its recently launched electric shuttle bus, the e-Patriot, has attracted major attention from local municipalities, and that following the show, the company is in negotiation with several local authorities and is close to concluding contracts to supply CNG and fully electric buses to this specific new market. Some of those negotiations include a quote for San Joaquin Sheriff’s department, which would potentially use the vehicles as prisoner buses. Newport is also working on an electric drive train solution for use in Antarctica, which needs to perform in the coldest of climates.
“There’s no rubber molding; there’s nothing that can be damaged by the weather,” says Read. “It’s the wave of the future, and we have the longest resin-infused molds in the country.”
By all accounts, Newport’s participation in the show was productive at opening new doors for the electric buses. “We were able to access a whole new audience and have already captured several solid leads. We have seen that being able to tailor our products to the unique specifications required for these government contracts can prove to be very beneficial to our business. We can confirm that the market for low and zero emission vehicles is definitely taking off and Newport Coachworks is in a great position to cater for this market successfully,” says Green Automotive Company CEO Ian Hobday.
Visit newportcoachworks.comfor more information.
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