GreenPower Motor Co. Inc., announced it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Colville Gaming LLC to acquire five GreenPower all-electric shuttle buses to replace existing legacy buses and an option for Colville to acquire an additional five. GreenPower will also provide the required charging infrastructure and the training for drivers, maintenance and support staff to create a Center of Excellence for Colville.

"We are excited to be working with GreenPower to electrify our fleet. Many of our buses are outdated and significant polluters, so in addition to modernizing our fleet we are moving to a more cost-effective solution, which is has a positive impact on our community,” said John MacClain the COO of Colville Gaming LLC. “GreenPower will also help train our drivers and maintenance crew; and, assist our support staff so we will have the expertise to benefit from this emerging industry while helping tribal members get to their places of employment."

Colville operates three casinos, a hotel, spa, the Deep Water Amphitheatre and related entertainment facilities in the State of Washington. Colville’s employee bussing program has helped disadvantaged employees with transportation struggles find meaningful employment options since gaming was instituted on Lake Chelan in 1995. The tribe decided early on that a shuttle service was necessary to ensure that tribal employment an hour away from the reservation would be possible for all tribal members.

As outlined in the MOU, GreenPower and Colville Gaming, LLC will work together to pursue grants, vouchers and incentives including the recently announced VW Mitigation Trust that provides funding to cover up to 100% of the cost of new all-electric transit buses, school buses and shuttle buses. Replacing older model diesel buses is one of the most effective mitigation actions under the VW Mitigation Trust.

GreenPower offers a range of electric-powered buses deploying electric-drive and battery technologies with a lightweight chassis and low-floor or high-floor body. GreenPower’s bus is based on a flexible clean sheet design and utilizes a custom battery management system and a proprietary Flex Power system for the drive motors. GreenPower sources and integrates key vehicle components from global suppliers, such as Siemens for the two drive motors, Knorr for the brakes, ZF for the axles and Parker for the dash and control systems. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowerbus.com.