GreenPower Motor Co. Inc. has officially launched the Nano BEAST (Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation), a purpose-built, battery-electric, Type A school bus with a range of up to 150 miles per charge. GreenPower will begin initial deliveries to its customers in the coming months.
The Nano BEAST’s clean sheet design approach facilitates optimal battery pack placement and weight distribution, allowing the vehicle to accommodate a larger energy supply and deliver a longer range. It will have the largest standard battery pack for a Type A school bus in the market.
“The Nano BEAST offers unprecedented levels of safety and reliability for a zero-emission, Type A school bus. We’ve seen the EV Star Platform exceed expectations in other industries, and we look forward to carrying this over into the school bus industry with our proven, unparalleled technology,” says Brendan Riley, president of GreenPower.
GreenPower developed the Nano BEAST using its purpose-built flagship EV Star Platform, which has accumulated approximately 200 deliveries throughout North America. This platform has been used in a variety of operational settings, including paratransit, airport shuttling, micro transit, cargo delivery and vanpool service.
“The school bus industry is the largest form of transportation in the U.S. with more than 25 million students transported daily,” adds Riley. “Providing school districts and our communities with a safer alternative to diesel-emitting school buses provides tremendous health benefits for our children, especially since NOx exhaust is a trigger of health problems like asthma and other respiratory issues. The move to all-electric options is critical and GreenPower remains committed to providing a better, cleaner and safer transportation future.”
“We are avid supporters of the federal administration’s school bus electrification goals,” comments Ryne Shetterly, vice president of sales and marketing at GreenPower. “The development of the Nano BEAST is a monumental achievement, both for GreenPower and for the school transportation industry at large.”
