SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (NASDAQ: GP) (TSXV: GPV) (“GreenPower”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of zero-emission, electric-powered, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, today announced the appointment of Leonard Bus Sales Inc. (“Leonard”) as a dealer for GreenPower’s BEAST Type D and Nano BEAST Type A all-electric school buses for the state of New York.
Leonard has five locations and will have an exclusive appointment for the state of New York except for eight counties representing the New York City area, which will be non-exclusive. Leonard has initially agreed to purchase two BEAST and two Nano BEAST school buses from GreenPower for customers and demonstrations.
“We are excited to be working with Leonard who is a proven school bus dealer in the state of New York, which has approximately 50,000 school buses in operations,” said Michael Perez, Vice President School Bus, Contracts and Grants of GreenPower.
As part of the current budget, the state of New York will require that all school buses be 100% electric by 2035, and further requires that all new school buses purchased starting in 2027 must be 100% electric. The budget also requires the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to provide technical assistance to school districts as they navigate the transition to 100% electric buses.
“This new law makes New York the first state in the country to commit to fully electrifying its school bus fleet and to establish, as a priority, protecting kids’ health,” Perez continued. “The GreenPower dealer agreement with Leonard positions the BEAST and Nano BEAST as the purpose-built, all-electric, zero-emissions school buses that will meet the goals set by the Governor and Legislature.”
Senator Timothy Kennedy, Chair of the New York Senate Transportation Committee said “Increasing our usage of zero emission school buses is a key component of reducing New York State’s carbon footprint and fulfilling the goals of the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act, which is why I was proud to push to include language in this year’s state budget that commits to fully electrifying our school bus fleets by 2035. Congratulations to GreenPower Motor Company and Leonard Bus Sales on this exciting partnership that will provide more electric zero-emission school bus options for our state’s school districts and transportation providers.”
GreenPower’s BEAST is a 40-foot Type D school bus seating up to 90 passengers and the Nano BEAST is a 25-foot Type A school bus which is available with standard seating or with ADA. Both the BEAST and Nano BEAST have a class-leading range of up to 150 miles with a monocoque chassis design and are built from the ground up to be battery-electric. The vehicles can charge up to 20 KW on a standard J1772 protocol or DC fast charge.
About GreenPower Motor Company:
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van, and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. GreenPower was founded in Vancouver, Canada with primary operational facilities in southern California. Listed on the Toronto exchange since November 2015, GreenPower completed its U.S. IPO and NASDAQ listing in August 2020. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com
