MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When schools across the state go back to the classroom this month, transportation departments will not be using GreenPower Motor buses. The electric buses are the focus of a compliance investigation being conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Transportation officials have reported problems with brakes overheating, poor battery performance in cold weather, and unapproved emergency exits.
GreenPower Motor took possession of the South Charleston manufacturing facility in August 2022 with plans to employ up to 900 who would be trained through a partnership with BridgeValley Community and Technical College and the Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County.
In October 2024, GreenPower Motor announced plans to begin building the purpose-built electric buses with a $18.5 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus grant program.
“This electrification project is the type of activity Congress envisioned when it created the Clean School Bus Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” GreenPower President Brendan Riley said at the time. “It is a collaborative effort between seven West Virginia school districts, GreenPower, GreenPower’s statewide school bus dealer, and an infrastructure provider to replace outdated, dirty diesel buses with a safe, sustainable, and sensible clean alternative to get kids to and from school and extracurricular activities in a healthier environment.”
During 2024, GreenPower delivered 29 Type D BEAST and 12 Type A Nano BEAST school buses across the country, for a total of 41 deliveries, an increase of 356% from the previous fiscal year. Facilities in South Charleston and Porterville, California, were expected to produce 50 to 60 purpose-built school buses per quarter by the end of the fiscal year 2025.
After a successful pilot program, state lawmakers approved $15 million to purchase buses for districts after 15 counties participated in the test.
The company announced plans this past January for a manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. A joint release from GreenPower and the New Mexico Economic Development Department said they plan to open a 135,000 square foot facility to manufacture electric vehicles. The release said the facility will employ more than 340 and projected an economic impact for New Mexico of more than $200 million over the next decade.
It is estimated in West Virginia that there are nearly 100 of the electric vehicles sitting as the federal compliance investigation continues.