GreenPower unveils Mega BEAST electric Type D school bus; longest range and biggest battery pack on the market

GreenPower Motor Company unveiled the Mega BEAST. This newest version of GreenPower’s all-electric Type D school bus provides double the range with the same functionality as GreenPower’s BEAST all-electric school bus.

GreenPower’s Mega BEAST is a 40-foot Type D all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school bus that delivers a class-leading range of up to 300 miles on a single charge via a 387 kWh battery pack. It provides for the longest range and has the biggest battery pack in the school bus market.

The Mega BEAST can seat up to 90 passengers with standard features that include air ride suspension, ABS disk brakes and largest pass-through storage available. Featuring a modern monocoque chassis, the Mega BEAST’s seamlessly integrated aluminum body and chassis design forms a composite structure which is the GreenPower Truss factor.

The extended range enabled by the larger battery pack is a solution for many rural school districts with longer routes, school districts with less chance for mid-day opportunity charging, school districts that face extreme weather conditions and schools that also use the all-electric bus for extra-curricular activities.

Before now, there was not a vehicle on the market that offered these longer-range capabilities. The Mega BEAST sets a new benchmark in the industry by addressing the needs and filling the gap in the current market where longer range all-electric school buses are required. All-in-all the Mega BEAST is the same class leading vehicle as the BEAST just with a bigger battery, more range and more uphill climbing power.

—GreenPower President Brendan Riley

Riley also noted that the larger battery size of the Mega BEAST is desirable for V2G applications where there is a need to use the battery as energy storage and not just for transportation purposes.

The Mega BEAST joins GreenPower’s line-up of all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses including the Type D BEAST and the Type A Nano BEAST. It will be manufactured in the US at GreenPower’s facilities in both California and South Charleston, West Virginia beginning in 2024.