US-based EV manufacturer GreenPower Motor has signed a contract with the state of New Mexico to implement an electric school bus pilot project.

The two-year pilot project will deploy three GreenPower Type A Nano BEAST Access school buses in the 2025-2026 school year and three GreenPower Type D BEAST and Mega BEAST school buses in the 2026-2027 school year. The Mega BEAST delivers a range of up to 300 miles from its 387 kWh battery pack.

The contract between GreenPower and the state of New Mexico provides more than $5 million for the purchase of vehicles, cost of charging infrastructure and overall management of the pilot. Based on voluntary requests to participate, school districts are currently being selected by the state to participate in the pilot.

The school buses will rotate around the state in five six-week pilot rounds each school year. GreenPower will install charging systems, provide training for the drivers, mechanics and the community’s first responders and help ensure a seamless testing period.

GreenPower is partnering with Highland Electric Fleets to install and implement the necessary charging infrastructure. The pilot will include DC fast chargers and Level 2 AC chargers for the Nano BEAST Access school buses, and will evaluate DC fast charging in the second year with the BEAST school buses. There will also be a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) evaluation in the second year using the Mega BEAST.

“The project is leveraging the successful pilot that GreenPower conducted in West Virginia, but also has a concentration on evaluating charging options and infrastructure,” said GreenPower President Brendan Riley.

“We are particularly interested in evaluating charging as a part of the pilot project,” said Mark Roper, Director of the Economic Development Division within the New Mexico Economic Development Department. “Range, charging rates and grid resiliency are critical components of switching to electric vehicles.”

Source: GreenPower Motor