Lion Bus’ new electric bus, the eLion, will be hitting the road throughout Canada and the U.S. this fall.

Powered by a TM4 electric motor, the bus can travel up to 75 miles on a full charge and will also be available in multi-function school activity and commercial applications with up to a 72 passenger capacity, said Marc-Andre Page, marketing manager for Lion Bus.

The eLion’s features include ample indoor space, wide aisles and seats, an ergonomic driver station, and a lifetime anti-corrosion body warranty, company officials said.

Green California Summit and Exposition attendees in Sacramento, California, got a sneak peek at the eLion in early April as they were transported in a demonstration bus from the convention center to a compressed natural gas maintenance facility.

Additionally, company officials met with several pupil transportation decision-makers who are looking into purchasing the bus, Page said.

The manufacturer expects to sell more than 100 eLions over the next year in California as well as throughout Canada. As of press time, the eLion units were about to go into production, and Lion Bus was building another six units for demonstration purposes.

“So far the feedback and the quality of the demonstration buses we have makes people very comfortable because it is very user-friendly for the drivers and has the same bus body that we offer on our diesel bus,” Page said.

Meanwhile, the school bus manufacturer also announced last week a strategic investment from a private equity firm in Quebec to help support commercialization of the eLion.