GreenPower delivers six BEAST battery electric school buses

Battery electric BEAST school bus from GreenPower

GreenPower, a Canadian manufacturer of zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles which has operations in southern California, has delivered six of its BEAST school buses to the Thermalito Union Elementary School District (UESD).

This is the largest single order of the school buses to date.

The BEAST (Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation) is a purpose-built 40-foot Type D school bus. The monocoque chassis houses a 194.5 kWh battery pack which delivers a range of up to 150 miles.

The vehicles can charge up to 19 kW on a standard J1772 protocol or DC fast charge. Other features include air suspension, pass-through storage and air disc brakes.

One of the buses was funded by the Butte County Air Quality Management District through its clean vehicle incentive program. The other five buses received funding from the California Energy Commission’s California Clean Energy Jobs Act Prop 39, which has awarded schools more than $1.7 billion over the past five years to plan and install energy-efficient upgrades, including zero-emission transport.

Andrew Koster, director of Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation at Thermalito UESD, commented: “Our vision for Thermalito UESD’s EV fleet was to provide drivers with transit-style school buses to allow for greater visibility and increased capacity.

“Upon visiting GreenPower’s assembly facility in Porterville, CA and inspecting the vehicles, we found their fit, finish, and build quality to be evident. Additionally, our test drive solidified our expectations for performance, comfort, and, most importantly, range.”