SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — GreenPower Motor Company is getting ready to roll out its first all-electric school buses that were manufactured at their new facility in Kanawha County.
The buses will be unveiled during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the South Charleston manufacturing site. The first Nano BEAST vehicles will be delivered to Kanawha, Cabell, Clay and Monongalia County school systems this week.
he company be rolling out two types of school buses including their Type A larger 40-foot bus with 84 seats and a smaller Type D bus that is wheelchair accessible with a disability lift.
GreenPower CEO Fraser Atkinson said during their pilot program in 18 counties across West Virginia, they found the Nano BEAST could travel far after one charge.
“It had the capability with that charging on-the-go or the opportunity charging where that vehicle did over 100 miles on that day, but it could’ve gone in excess of 150-175 miles,” he said on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
The tests showed the batteries had the most difficulty in cold weather conditions. Battery performance was negatively impacted by using air conditioning in warmer conditions, and surprisingly, hills were not a problem for the buses, Atkinson said.
It was almost two years ago GreenPower announced plans to produce the buses in West Virginia and out-of-state. Atkinson called it a great opportunity for job growth.
“Our target for the end of next year as we bring online the production of our Type D school bus, which will be up next after these initial deliveries of the Type A Nano BEAST, is that our target for the end of next year is 200 employees in this facility,” he said.
GreenPower eventually wants to add up to 900 new jobs.
The company is partnering with West Virginia’s Workforce Development Board and BridgeValley Community & Technical College for employee recruitment and training.
Atkinson said it takes about 4-5 months to complete production of the Nano BEAST.
More than 40 GreenPower buses were purchased during the 2023 legislative session for $15 million.
Those who attend Wednesday’s event will have the opportunity to ride a GreenPower school bus before it gets delivered to its first school district in Kanawha County.