The Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation ( BEAST ) is a 40-foot , 90-passenger Type D school bus , purpose-built for electric drive
By Richard G . Tackett
GreenPower Motor Company formed in 2010 and began its first bus deliveries to transit agencies by 2017 . Although the company initially focused on full-size transit buses and its EV Star model ( a purpose-built all-electric shuttle bus ), GreenPower quickly saw an opportunity to expand into school buses .
T he manufacturer ’ s first school bus was the 36.5-foot Synapse 72 , and it delivered five models to southern California districts in 2019 for Rialto USD , Placentia Yorba Linda USD , and Paso Robles US . After those deployments , according to GreenPower Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ryne Shetterly , the company re-evaluated its offerings to pupil transportation . “ The 36.5-foot variant , formally known as the Synapse 72 did not distinguish itself from the pack and we knew we had room for tremendous improvement ,” he said . “ Over the course of three deliveries in southern California , we learned that it was probably time to go ‘ back to the drawing board ,’” he said . “ So that ’ s what we did – we re-calibrated our approach .” Working on the same chassis – now elongated to 40 feet – GreenPower developed the Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation ( BEAST ) bus . The BEAST , Shetterly said , is the first commercially available purpose-built Type D school bus on the market . “ The BEAST is a 40-foot , 90 passenger school bus with more range , dual charging capabilities , and more standard features than anything else on the market ,” he said . “ School districts went wild when unit one rolled off the line , and we haven ’ t looked back since .” “ Many manufacturers are building their battery bus models on the exact same chassis as their diesel buses ,” he added . “ The BEAST begins its life as a zero emissions vehicle and represents a ground-up build for all-electric pupil transportation .” The BEAST is constructed with a Monocoque chassis and aluminum body , resulting in a super-lightweight Type-D vehicle . Every BEAST vehicle features standard air-ride suspension , ABS disc brakes , air conditioning , and pass-through storage . The BEAST has a seating capacity of up to 90 passengers . This is a key differentiator from its closest competitor , which has an 87-passenger capacity . The vehicle ’ s battery generates 194 kilowatts ( kw ) per hour , providing a range of up to 150 miles on a single charge . With a dual-charging capacity , the AC onboard charger reaches up to 20 kw and the DC charger can fast-charge up to 60 kw . “ A DC fast-charger is going to take something like 2 hours and 15 minutes ,” Shetterly said . “ The AC charger will charge at 20 kw overnight , lasting about 6.5 hours . But we do not require school districts to make that decision up front – it ’ s important that we meet their needs for reliability and duty cycles above all else .” GreenPower partnered with Creative Bus Sales for a come-to-market strategy focusing on California deployments . In California , GreenPower intends to add certifications , incur miles driven , and receive driver and passenger feedback on the BEAST . “ We are looking to develop the best product possible , and that means we need as much data as possible ,” Shetterly said .
The BEAST differences
Shetterly said that GreenPower is not necessarily in the school bus market to directly compete with electric vehicle converters , which build hundreds of buses per day to achieve scale . GreenPower looks at the BEAST bus as a standalone product . “ BEAST is not necessarily the cheapest all-electric vehicle on the market , nor is it the most expensive ,” he said . “ However , we are the only company delivering an ‘ as-is ’ Type D , all-electric bus with all the necessary equipment for a customer looking to adopt electric propulsion .”
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