2023-10-28 16:00:11
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. GreenPower Motor Company, Inc., is prepared to deliver the first electric buses manufactured in the Mountain State and has released the full results from the pilot program. Vice President of Business Development and Strategy Mark Nestlen said the first four units are just the beginning of a growing market.
“We look forward to December 13, which is the day that the four West Virginia-manufactured Nano Beasts will depart South Charleston,” Nestlen said. “They will be the first vehicles produced at that facility.”
Overall, the company reported that by the fourth quarter of 2023, it had delivered 120 vehicles to customers nationwide, representing a six-fold increase from sales the year before. The state of West Virginia approved a purchase of 41 buses for a contract price of $15 million and an order of about $7 million from the Clark County School District (CCSD0) in Nevada, the fifth largest school district in the country for 15 buses.
As more entities learn about subsidies related to the Inflation Reduction Act more orders are anticipated.
“We’re going to need another 60-plus people to come on board in Q1 to be well on track to the 200 number by the end of 2024,” Nestlen said.
In New York, $100 has been made available through the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 to purchase zero-emission school buses. All buses purchased beginning in 2035 must be zero-emission vehicles.
“We’re told once the schools get moving with the electric scenario in New York, we could see a demand for 600 Nano Beats a year,” Nestlen said.
In Boone County, a dedicated electric meter was used to charge the bus, which was compared to the operation of a conventional diesel bus. According to the statistics, over a 10-year period, the savings at current costs would be $136,000.
“What that showed was that for the month, the electrical cost to operate that bus was $200,” Nestlen said. “That compares to the diesel fuel cost to run that bus of $900.”
Under ideal conditions, the electric buses achieved 1.4 to 1.5 miles per one percent charge, or 140 to 150 miles per full charge. The use of heat on extremely cold mornings does reduce range, but the system can be programmed to heat the cabin during the charging process, easing some of the load. The use of air conditioning did not show a significant reduction in capability, and changes in elevations did not prove to reduce the range.
The highest range on a full charge in the pilot program was 167 miles in Monongalia County.
“We got 167 miles on a full charge, and that took place in Morgantown,” Nestlen said. “Tony Harris, the Transportation Director, drove it that day, and it had the highest range of any bus that ran during the pilot project.”
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