GreenPower to Deliver Five BEASTs to California Schools
Los Angeles-based GreenPower Motor Company Inc., 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, has announced it will deliver five Type D BEAST all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses to two school districts in California.
“Delivery of our all-electric Type D BEAST school buses in California this week shows the continued preference for GreenPower’s purpose-built product in the marketplace,” said Paul Start, GreenPower vice president of sales - School Bus Group. “GreenPower remains the only OEM to manufacture both a Class 4 purpose-built Type A all-electric school bus in its Nano BEAST and a Type D all-electric, purpose-built school bus in its BEAST. This product combination allows school districts to meet its student transportation needs, all while taking full advantage of state incentives and programs.”
Of the five BEASTs to be delivered this week, four will go to the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District and the fifth to the Terra Bella Union Elementary School District. “We are pleased that these school districts see the great health and safety benefits provided by GreenPower’s all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses in meeting the transportation needs of their students,” Start continued. “As with other school districts in California and across the nation, these schools have a mission of providing safe and efficient transportation to their students. GreenPower’s all-electric school buses provide that safe, sustainable and sensible transportation option that gets kids to and from school in a healthy environment prepared to learn.”
In addition to this week’s deliveries, in the next few weeks, GreenPower plans to deliver up to four more Type D BEAST all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses to California schools and two BEASTs to schools in Oregon with up to an additional 20 school buses expected to be delivered in California over the next 90 to 120 days.
GreenPower’s BEAST is a purpose-built 40-foot Type D all-electric, zero-emission school bus with seating for up to 90 students. Designed from the ground up, it is a unified structure that features a seamlessly integrated aluminum body made from extruded aluminum manufactured by Constellium on a high-strength steel Truss (bus) chassis. The complete, flat-floor design allows for tracking with no obstacles, and the high floors keep students out of the crash zone. Dual port charging is standard with Level 2 rates up to 19.2 kW and DC Fast Charging rates up to 85 kW. Wireless charging is also available as an option.
The Type D BEAST and Type A Nano BEAST are both eligible for California HVIP vouchers and qualify for grants under the California Zero-Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) program. ZESBI grants pair zero-emission (ZE) school bus vehicle funding offered by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) with charging infrastructure funding offered by the California Energy Commission (CEC). A total of $500 million is appropriated by Senate Bill (SB) 114 for ZESBI for Fiscal Year 2023-24. Of that amount, $375 million is allocated to support the replacement of old school buses with ZE school buses, and $125 million is allocated to support complementary infrastructure and associated costs.