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    E-Buses Making the Grade: School Districts in Three States Make Orders for GreenPower BEASTs

    Dec. 23, 2024
    Overall, there are more than 12,000 electric buses committed under deals with school districts in most U.S. states, according to the nonprofit World Resources Institute.
    Image credit GreenPower Motor Co.
    67697dcd060817072eff009f Greenpower Beast School Buses

    GreenPower Motor Co. has received three orders for 11 Type D zero-emission BEAST all-electric school buses for school districts in Arizona, California and Oregon.

    The three orders are seven BEASTs for the Los Banos Unified School District in Los Banos, California from GreenPower's California dealer Model 1; two BEASTs for the Casa Grande Elementary School District in Casa Grande, Arizona from GreenPower's Arizona dealer RWC Group; and two BEASTs for the Hood River County School District in Hood River, Oregon from GreenPower's Oregon dealer Peterson Trucks.

    GreenPower's BEAST, a 40-foot school bus, accommodates up to 90 students. It features a corrosion resistant aluminum body manufactured by Constellium, mated to a steel Truss (bus) chassis.

    The complete flat floor design offers adjustable track seating with no wheel wells in the passenger compartment, and the high floor keeps students out of the impact zone. Combined port charging is standard with Level 2 rates up to 19.2 kW and DC Fast Charging rates up to 85 kW, allowing for full charging in less than three hours.

    "As school districts continue to make the change from NOx emitting diesel school buses to a cleaner, healthier means of transporting students, school district transportation departments are pursuing the gold standard of the industry – the GreenPower all-electric, purpose-built BEAST and Nano BEAST school buses," said Paul Start, GreenPower's Vice President of Sales – School Bus Group. "With 2025 fast approaching, the GreenPower school bus order pipeline and production schedule are both at record levels with sales projections for next year set to eclipse the 2024 calendar year."

    Electric bus adoption is growing across districts nationwide, most of these at least partially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, which has allocated close to $3 billion in funding aid for electric bus acquisitions. Overall, there are more than 12,000 electric buses committed under deals with school districts in most U.S. states, according to the nonprofit World Resources Institute.

    E-Mobility is one of many paths to net zero

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