SOUTH
CHARLESTON, W.Va., Sept. 26,
2023 /CNW/ -- GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
(NASDAQ: GP) (TSXV: GPV) ("GreenPower"), a leading
manufacturer and distributor of purpose-built, all-electric,
zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and
delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector,
recently announced the results from its successful all-electric
school bus pilot program conducted in West Virginia that resulted in subsequent
all-electric school bus orders. GreenPower shared its findings
along with helpful data to improve future deployments at the Green
Bus Summit held during STN EXPO in Reno,
Nevada this summer.
"The GreenPower all-electric school buses did what they were
supposed to do throughout the entire pilot. The buses transported
the kids to school in the morning, home safely at night, and in
some cases, on to football games or other extracurricular
activities," GreenPower Vice President of Business Development and
Strategy Mark Nestlen said in
releasing the program results. "There was no case where the buses
failed to perform nor meet the demands of the school districts and
drivers."
As a result of the successful pilot program and the performance
of the GreenPower vehicles, schools in the Mountain State have
placed orders to purchase GreenPower all-electric, purpose-built
school buses to deploy in their fleets, and have also asked to
receive GreenPower school buses purchased by the state. Several of
the pilot program counties have applied for new funding through the
EPA and other sources to purchase additional GreenPower school
buses as well.
Joining GreenPower in presenting the key findings of the pilot
program were Delegate Christopher
Toney, a school bus driver in Raleigh County (WV) who is also the Vice
Chairman of the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on
Education; Dr. Tom Williams,
Superintendent of the Kanawha
County (WV) School District; and Dr. Barry Miller, a bus driver for the Calhoun
County (WV) School District. (Click here to watch a video recap
of the panel presentation at STN EXPO's Green Bus Summit.)
"If it can work in West
Virginia, it can work in your state," said Toney. "We were
not easy on it. We didn't cherry pick a route that it went on
either. We told drivers and counties to put it on routes where it
was going to be put to the test. We showed it can work."
The nine-month pilot program covered more than 32,000 miles in
18 counties representing one-third of the school districts in the
state. More than 100 professional school bus drivers drove the
GreenPower Type D BEAST and Type A Nano BEAST during the
pilot and provided feedback and recommendations at the conclusion
of each round.
"It was overall a good experience. For the most part our drivers
liked the bus. They loved the braking; they loved the turning
radius of the bus," stated Williams. "Our kids thoroughly enjoyed
the quiet, smooth ride and no diesel smell along with the
technology aspect. The mechanics appreciated it. It's very, very
low maintenance. It was just a good experience for our county and
we ended up purchasing a GreenPower all-electric BEAST school
bus."
Each participating school district piloted either the Type D
BEAST or the Type A Nano BEAST purpose-built, all-electric school
bus for six weeks between September
2022 and May 2023, covering
the entire school year, multiple seasons and some of the harshest
weather and terrain the Mountain State has to offer.
"The vehicles in this pilot were put through the ringer, facing
weather ranging from single digit temperatures to mid-80s, with
some days starting in the teens and ending in the 50s," said
Fraser Atkinson, CEO of GreenPower.
"They weathered sun, rain, ice and snow while successfully
navigating mountainous roads with up to 9% grades. The vehicles,
both the BEAST and Nano BEAST, managed, without incident,
West Virginia's famously difficult
to navigate roads - often having to traverse gravel, dirt and
one-lane roads."
"The BEAST handle as good, or even better, than a conventional
diesel school bus. It made every turn and climbed every hill the
same as a diesel, doing everything we asked it to do," Miller
added. Reflecting on the first time driving the GreenPower bus, he
said, "I drove it and I'm like this is the best driving vehicle
I've ever had. I believe my exact words when I got in, put it in
gear, and put my foot on the pedal was 'wow'! It just went with no
hesitation. You put your foot down and it goes."
Key findings from the pilot project included:
- In ideal conditions, the range for the all-electric school
buses was 1.4 to 1.5 miles per one percent charge, or 140 to 150
miles on a full charge. On one occasion, a BEAST achieved 1.67
miles per one percent charge, or 167 miles total range. Another
high performance saw a BEAST go 147 total miles that include 9%
inclines on mountainous roads on a 15-degree day while returning
with 7% battery remaining.
- School districts participating in the pilot were able to
demonstrate significant operational savings over a fleet of
standard diesel-fueled buses. One participating district,
Boone County, took into account
the recorded difference in just fuel costs – $200 a month in electricity vs. $900 a month in diesel fuel – which would
translate into fuel savings of $136,000 over 10 years. In reality and practice
the total savings for an all-electric school bus is much greater
when including all operational and maintenance cost savings.
- Aggressive usage of heat reduces the range. The data shows that
aggressive use of heat on extremely cold mornings reduced the range
in some cases by more than 30%. Conversely, air conditioning use
did not show a material impact on range.
- Changes in elevation did not significantly affect the vehicle's
range. While uphill driving will deplete the battery faster than
flat terrain, downhill segments restore energy to the battery
through regenerative braking so the two tend to average out. One
county, Grant County, experienced
a net zero energy use over a 17-mile stretch going up and down from
Mt. Storm.
- Driver habits affect the range just like it does gas mileage in
a personal car.
- All vehicles were charged with temporary Level 2 chargers
provided by a number of vendors. While Level 2 charging proved to
be largely adequate for this pilot, cold weather and other
conditions suggested DC Fast Charging is necessary as a
context-based option. Reporting software proved to be critical in
instances where any charging interruptions took place overnight.
The software provided notifications when power surges or other
disruptions occurred, allowing them to be recycled in a timely
manner so the problem would not be long term.
"What this pilot showed was that GreenPower all-electric,
purpose-built school buses will do what students, parents and
administrators need and want them to do. Charging and charging
infrastructure needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. It
is not just a question of is a Level 2 or DC fast charger needed,
but fundamentally understanding the scenario, context and needs of
the school district is essential to determining the best charging
solution," continued Atkinson. "The results of the pilot allows us
to work with school districts using proven data to find the
solution that will fit their needs best."
Toney stated that the pilot shows the buses worked in
West Virginia and will work
elsewhere. "We put the buses to the test. We showed people that it
can work. If you have the infrastructure, if you have the knowledge
and training, it can work and it works in our state."
Nestlen concluded that the pilot answered the questions of how
far does the bus go, how long does it take to charge it and what
infrastructure is necessary for charging. "It answered those
questions in a way that can be used anywhere in the country to help
school districts make education decisions on how to deploy
all-electric school buses in their fleets," he said.
Contacts:
Mark
Nestlen
Vice President of Business Development & Strategy
mark.n@greenpowermotor.com
Michael Perez
Vice President of School Bus, Contracts and Grants
michael@greenpowermotor.com
Allie Potter
Skyya PR for GreenPower
(218) 766-8856
allie@skyya.com
About GreenPower Motor Company, Inc.
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 vans 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.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document
contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other
things, GreenPower's business and operations and the environment in
which it operates, which are based on GreenPower's operations,
estimates, forecasts and projections. Forward-looking statements
are not based on historical facts, but rather on current
expectations and projections about future events and are therefore
subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results
to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied
by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can
be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "upon",
"may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan",
"anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative
thereof or similar variations. These statements are not guarantees
of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are
difficult to predict. A number of important factors including those
set forth in other public filings (filed under the Company's
profile on www.sedar.com) could cause actual outcomes and
results to differ materially from those expressed in these
forward-looking statements. Consequently, readers should not place
any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. In addition,
these forward-looking statements relate to the date on which they
are made. GreenPower disclaims any intention or obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release. All amounts are in U.S. Dollars ©2023
GreenPower Motor Company Inc. All rights reserved.
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SOURCE GreenPower Motor Company