CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – Gov. Justice has announced all-electric school buses will soon be coming to West Virginia.
GreenPower Motor Company will be manufacturing the buses in South Charleston at a 9.5-acre facility. The company signed an agreement with the state to lease the facility, which includes an 80,000 square-foot building, where the zero-emission buses will be made.
“Under my administration, we’ve really focused on transforming West Virginia’s image,” Justice said. “Part of the way 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.”
The funding for this manufacturing initiative is thanks to a bipartisan infrastructure package passed in Congress last year.
Senator Capito was partially involved in that planning process, as part of her spot on the Environment and Public Works Committee. On Thursday, Capito said she is glad to see the initiative take charge.
“There are ongoing discussions and anticipations that the country would be moving to electric buses, but the bipartisan infrastructure package is a definitive statement that we are and we’re gonna put money behind it,” Capito said.
Officials say the electric school bus manufacturing operation will bring up to 200 new jobs to the mountain state when it first launches, and potentially up to 900 jobs when full production is reached within two years.
