Friday 14 January 2022

GreenPower to manufacture electric school buses in West Virginia

GreenPower Motor Company has unveiled plans to manufacture zero-emission, all-electric school buses in West Virginia.

It has entered into a lease/purchase agreement for a manufacturing facility in South Charleston, with the state of West Virginia committing to purchase a minimum of $15 million (£11m) of vehicles produced at the facility.

Brendan Riley, President of GreenPower said: “GreenPower is pleased to announce that its zero-emission, all-electric school bus manufacturing operations are expanding east of the Mississippi River with West Virginia becoming our school bus manufacturing base of operations for the region.”

GreenPower plans to start manufacturing the school buses in the facility by the second half of 2022, with the state providing up to $3.5 million (£2.6m) in employment incentive payments to the company for jobs created as production increases over time.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice added: “Under my administration, we've really focused on transforming West Virginia's image. One of the ways we're doing that is by embracing all the new technologies that are at our fingertips and GreenPower setting up shop in West Virginia is yet another exciting project that will help us move our state forward.

“As we continue to diversify our economy, manufacturing these zero-emission school buses in West Virginia will open up a world of opportunities for our state. Just as importantly, this development is going to change lives. Not only will it bring hundreds of great paying jobs to the Kanawha Valley but the ripple effects on our state's economy are going to be off-the-charts.”