14 Nov 2023
GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (Nasdaq: GP) (TSXV: GPV) ("GreenPower"), a leading manufacturer and distributor of purpose-built, all-electric, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, announced orders for 35 Type D all-electric, purpose-built school buses for the California market.
GreenPower’s Type D all-electric, purpose-built Mega BEAST school bus.
GreenPower received the orders from its exclusive California dealer Model 1 (formerly Creative Bus Sales) for 25 of the Mega BEAST school buses for the Montebello School District and 10 BEAST school buses for the Garden Grove school district. Funding for the all-electric, zero-emission school buses comes from both the California HVIP program and the EPA Clean School Bus Program.
"GreenPower is pleased to see these school districts being able to place orders through Model 1 for the BEAST school buses using program funding that helps them prepare for future transportation requirements. The Montebello order of the Mega BEAST comes just a few weeks after our launch of the new option showing an immediate demand for the product," said Michael Perez, GreenPower's Vice President of School Bus, Contracts and Grants. "We continue to work closely with our dealer in California to help school districts plan for the deployment of all-electric, zero-emission school buses that meet their specific needs instead of NOx emitting diesel buses."
In the past month, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring all new school buses in California be electric by 2035. With that action, California joined Connecticut, Maine, Maryland and New York in mandating the switch to all-electric, zero-emission school buses in fleets over the next four to 17 years. The new law makes California the leader in state funding for the transition to all-electric school buses with the switch projected to cost roughly $5 billion.
"GreenPower's school buses are a great fit for school districts implementing EVs in California. The passenger capacity and variable battery range options available deliver a path to meet school's operational needs. These GreenPower EV school buses provide safe and healthy transportation for students and save money over the long-run through reduced operation and maintenance costs" said Jason Hohalek, School Bus Sales Manager for Model 1. "With these buses qualifying for California HVIP vouchers, air quality management district grants, VW funding and the EPA Clean School Bus Program, school districts are able to fund the transition to a cleaner, safer ride."
At the end of September the California HVIP program extended the date for submissions for the public school bus set-aside funding of $370,000 for a Type D BEAST school bus without a wheelchair lift and $395,000 with a wheelchair lift, and $285,000 for a Type A Nano BEAST without a wheelchair lift and $310,000 for a Type A Nano BEAST Access with a wheelchair lift.
GreenPower's BEAST is a 40-foot Type D all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school bus that can seat up to 90 passengers with standard features that include air ride suspension, ABS disk brakes and largest pass-through storage available. Featuring a modern monocoque chassis, the BEAST is the safest, most durable and reliable all-electric school bus available today. Its seamlessly integrated aluminum body and chassis design forms a composite structure which is the GreenPower Truss(T) factor.
The Mega BEAST, introduced on October 31st, delivers a class-leading range of up to 300 miles on a single charge via a 387 kWh battery pack. It provides for the longest range and has the biggest battery pack in the school bus market. The Mega BEAST is designed to provide the answer for longer range routes and other desired uses by a school district. The extended range created by the larger battery pack is an ideal solution for many rural school districts with longer routes, school districts with less chance for mid-day opportunity charging, school districts that face extreme weather conditions and schools that also use the all-electric bus for extra-curricular activities. The larger battery of the Mega BEAST also has the ability to provide for a more healthy and stable electric grid and community stability in areas where it is deployed and V2G is used.
GreenPower | www.greenpowermotor.com
