The Chicago Transit Board this morning awarded a $2.5 million contract for the purchase of two battery-electric buses to New Flyer. The purchase was made possible by a federal grant.

CTA will use the buses for the agency’s first-ever in-service test of battery-electric powered vehicles.

The propulsion system for the buses will be built by Siemens and will be powered with lithium-ion polymer batteries. The buses will be required to travel up to 100-miles on a single charge.

Arrival of the battery-electric buses is scheduled for late 2013.