West Virginia orders 41 electric school buses from GreenPower

The state of West Virginia is acquiring 41 GreenPower custom-built, battery-electric school buses for $15 million. The models include Type D BEAST and Type A Nano BEAST school buses. As part of the order, GreenPower received a $3 million deposit from the state to manufacture the buses in West Virginia.

GreenPower launched the Nano Beast Type A electric school bus in March last year. The technical specifications of the smaller Nano electric bus are as follows: A 118 kW battery powers the 24 seater, allowing for a range of up to 150 miles and a max power of 150 kW. It can charge the battery in 2 hours on a 60 kW DC charger, or use an 11 kW charging station, which takes up to 11 hours.

The Type D BEAST electric school bus is larger, featuring space for up to 90 passengers, as well as the driver, and a shorter range of 140 miles. The 194 kW battery powers a 350 kW drive system, which can reach a top speed of 68 mph. Charging for the electric school bus can be done in 3 1/2 hours on a 60 kW DC charger, or 10 1/2 hours on a 19 kW AC charging connection.

Since we first announced our intent to manufacture in West Virginia, we’ve made tremendous progress on our mission to be the leading manufacturer of purpose-built, all-electric school buses,” said Brendan Riley, President and Director at GreenPower, adding: “The fact that our workers will be manufacturing the school buses being purchased by the state that their kids and grandkids will be riding to and from school on brings me great pride.”

prnewswire.com, greenpowermotor.com (PDF, Type A), greenpowermotor.com (Type D)