Electric vehicle manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company, whose products include the BEAST Type D and Nano BEAST Type A school buses, appointed Leonard Bus Sales Inc. as a dealer in 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 operation," said Michael Perez, vice president of school bus, contracts, and grants at 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 said. "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."
State Sen. 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."
