GreenPower Motor Company has announced the official launch of the Nano BEAST: a purpose-built, battery-electric, Type A school bus with a range of up to 150 miles per charge.

The Nano BEAST (Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation) is the only purpose-built, zero-emission, Type A school bus on the market. Its clean sheet design approach is expected to provide optimal battery pack placement and weight distribution, allowing the vehicle to accommodate a larger energy supply, deliver a longer range, and set the new standard for zero-emissions student transportation. The Nano BEAST, according to GreenPower, will have the largest standard battery pack for a Type A school bus in the market.

GreenPower developed the Nano BEAST using its purpose-built flagship EV Star Platform, which has accumulated approximately 200 deliveries throughout North America with deliveries growing every month. This platform has been used in a wide variety of operational settings including paratransit, airport shuttling, micro transit, cargo delivery, and vanpool service.

GreenPower will begin initial deliveries to its customers in the coming months and anticipates that the pace of these deliveries will increase by the end of the year.

There are approximately 9,700 new Type A school buses sold every year and approximately 500,000 yellow school buses running across the country. With state vouchers, federal funding, and mandates to go all-electric the Nano BEAST rounds out GreenPower's school bus product offerings.

"The Nano BEAST offers unprecedented levels of safety and reliability for a zero-emission, Type A school bus," said Riley. "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. The school bus industry is the largest form of transportation in the U.S. with more than 25 million students transported daily. 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."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the primary source of NOx is motor vehicles, including school buses. NOx exhaust can trigger health problems like asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory issues.

Ryne Shetterly, vice president of sales and marketing at GreenPower, added: "We are avid supporters of the federal administration's school bus electrification goals. The launch of a purpose-built, battery-electric, Type A school bus was a critical next step for GreenPower and the industry. The development of the Nano BEAST is a monumental achievement, both for GreenPower and for the school transportation industry at large."