After landing three deals south of the border in October, GreenPower has secured its first Canadian client for its line of electric-powered buses.
The Vancouver-based company announced Monday (November 30) it has agreed to lease one of its an all-electric double-decker buses to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) and CVS Tours.
GreenPower said it will deliver the bus by April 2016 after the vehicle is manufactured in China and the U.S.
The GVHA then has the option to buy the bus after three years.
“They’re (GVHA) looking at this as really being the start of a relationship, not just simply purchasing a bus from us,” GreenPower chairman Fraser Atkinson told Business in Vancouver.
“It couldn’t be more gratifying to find a couple of organizations — literally in our backyard — that (it’s) not a matter of just wanting to do a deal with us but wanting to partner up with us.”
He said GreenPower’s goal is to leverage the deal into new partnerships with other cruise ship terminals throughout North America.
The company entered the marketplace a year ago but did not secure its first sale until last month when it made different deals to supply two companies with a total of 23 electric buses.
Financial details of the GVHA deal were not disclosed but GreenPower sold its first double-decker sale in October for US$1.1 million.
The buses produce zero emissions and can travel 250 kilometres after being fully charged.
As the Paris climate talks unfold this week, Atkinson said he hopes leaders come away inclined to further examine green energy alternatives to transportation.“A year ago, we couldn’t get anybody to even talk to us,” he said.
“Whereas now, there’s so many great initiatives that are being tabled or moved forward.”
