GreenPower Motor Company Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of purpose-built, all-electric, zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, has delivered five Type D BEAST electric school buses to two school districts in California recently.
“Delivery of our all-electric Type D BEAST school buses in California shows the continued preference for GreenPower’s purpose-built product in the marketplace,” says 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 delivered, four will go to the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District and the fifth to the Terra Bella Union Elementary School District.
In addition to the recent deliveries, GreenPower plans to deliver up to four more Type D BEAST all-electric zero-emission school buses to California schools, and two BEASTs to schools in Oregon in the next few weeks. Up to 20 more school buses are expected to be delivered in California over the next 90 to 120 days.
GreenPower’s BEAST is a 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 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 zero-emission school buses, and $125 million is allocated to support complementary infrastructure and associated costs. ZESBI utilizes a joint application for vehicles and infrastructure. The joint application will close on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
