EV Star Debuts in Victoria

Greenpower Motors visited Victoria this week to introduce its latest mass transit vehicle, the EV Star.

And while many in the city have seen the company’s 100% electric double-decker buses operated by CVS Tours, the new vehicle is expected to become a far more familiar sight as it assumes its role as a multi- industry workhorse with a myriad of uses.

Designed for professional drivers unfamiliar with operating electric vehicles, the 25’ long, flat floor EV Star offers configurations of 16 – 19 passengers or space for 4 tons of cargo. The North American manufactured 2019 model also has a 300 km range at highway speeds.

Fully air conditioned and with reclining seats and lots of headroom, the bus offers the perfect replacement for airport shuttles, retirement homes, universities and schools, community bus services such as those on many Gulf Islands as well as BC Transit’s Handy Dart service.

In cargo mode, it offers lots of space for courier and delivery services combined with a range that will easily see them through a busy urban workday.

The base price of $220,000 (Canadian) will earn buyers the current $20,000 government rebate in addition to providing huge fuel savings. While similar ICE vehicles burn an annual average of $20,000, the EV Star’s energy consumption reduces those operating costs to $4,000.

For the gear heads among you, Glenn Garry has generously provided an under-the-hood look at the EV Star, while Manfred Wiessmann shot the interview with Greenpower’s Fraser Atkinson that follows.