GreenPower Motor Company Inc. recently cut the ribbon at its new South Charleston, West Virginia manufacturing facility, which is home to the company’s all-electric school bus manufacturing operations east of the Mississippi River.

The facility expands on GreenPower’s current manufacturing footprint with an additional 80,000 square feet, meeting the demand and servicing customers on the East Coast.

The new manufacturing facility in South Charleston, which will begin operations in September, provides GreenPower with manufacturing capability of up to 150 electric school buses per quarter by next year.

“Today marks a significant milestone for GreenPower as we continue to live the vision of advancing the adoption of purpose-bult, zero-emission school buses. Through this new facility we will be able to exponentially increase our production to meet the increased demand for all-electric school buses,” said Brendan Riley, president/director at GreenPower, citing recent public funding from both the state and federal levels and state climate change regulations as sources of the increased demand. “The work we’re doing in South Charleston is a testament to GreenPower’s mission and allows us to be well-positioned as the leader nationwide in the transition to clean, electric and safer transportation.”

GreenPower’s facility is expected to bring approximately 200 new clean-energy jobs to the state within the next year, and up to 900 when the company reaches full production. The company said is focused on creating  employment and career opportunities for West Virginians and is partnering with BridgeValley Community and Technical College to provide hands-on training to workers joining GreenPower’s manufacturing team.

“Today marks a milestone for Greenpower, but it also marks a major milestone for West Virginia as well,” Gov. Jim Justice said. “Since I took office, we’ve focused on transforming West Virginia’s image. Part of the way we’re doing that is by embracing all the new technologies that are at our fingertips, and GreenPower opening their manufacturing facility in West Virginia is yet another exciting project that will help us move our state forward and change our image. As we continue to diversify our economy, manufacturing zero-emission school buses in West Virginia will open up a world of opportunities for our state. Not only will it bring hundreds of great paying jobs to the Kanawha Valley, but the ripple effects on our state’s economy will be massive. I can’t thank them enough for their commitment to our state and for believing that West Virginia is the best place to do business.”