Foton America Bus is building its CNG powered bus for presentation to the Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center, Pennsylvania - the US Federal Transit Administration's model bus testing program. "We should enter testing sometime in September," says Cliff Clare, Foton's CEO. Foton's plan is to fit a made-in-China chassis-body - now a monocoque design - with U.S.-made components to meet Buy America requirements, offering operators a compressed natural gas-fueled bus at about the price of a U.S.-made diesel.

Foton CNG bus

The Foton L40 to be evaluated is a low-floor model equipped with a Cummins Westport ISL G 280 engine and Allison B400R transmission, CNG tanks by Lincoln and CNG tank assembly by Fab Industries, and a Webasto CNG auxiliary heater.

Foton says the vehicle will meet all Buy America requirements as well as all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It also meets EPA and CARB 2010 emissions and EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly vehicle) standards.The initial 40-foot bus will be adapted for 30- and 35- foot models.