GreenPower Motor to Establish EV Manufacturing Plant in New Mexico with State Incentives
Electric vehicle firm GreenPower Motor Co. announced plans to build an EV manufacturing plant in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, thanks in large part to an array of financial incentives from the state..
GreenPower Motor reached an agreement with the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) to begin establishing the 135,000-square-foot facility in the Santa Teresa region. The company currently has operations in southern California and West Virginia.
GreenPower renewed ties with the New Mexico EDD which started last year when the EV manufacturer launched an all-electric school bus pilot project in Las Vegas and Santa Fe. The two-year pilot is included in planning and research set in motion by New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act.
"The electric school bus pilot project was an important first step in bringing GreenPower manufacturing and their high-quality jobs to New Mexico," said EDD Cabinet Secretary Rob Black in a statement. "The real-world data and insights we are gaining from the pilot project will help inform New Mexico's electric school bus roll-out and specifications, ensuring that fleets are safe, efficient and tailored to the unique needs of local districts."
GreenPower manufactures and distributes medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles serving the cargo, delivery, shuttle and transit sectors. The Santa Teresa facility also will serve as the company’s base for North American operations and U.S. corporate headquarters.
"Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's steadfast commitment to advancing zero-emission vehicles has provided a supportive policy environment that encourages companies like GreenPower to invest and innovate," said GreenPower President Brendan Riley. "Her administration's ambitious sustainability goals align perfectly with GreenPower's mission to deliver clean, reliable transportation solutions, contributing to a healthier environment and a stronger state economy."
Incentives to GreenPower in delivering the manufacturing and base of operations in New Mexico include a $14+ million million investment by the state to attract the company. Five million dollars was offered through the New Mexico Local Economic Development Act program, while $4.6 million is received through job training incentive funds, $1.36 million in Rural Jobs Tax Credits and $3.65 million in the state’s High-Wage Jobs Tax Credits.
The manufacturing and HQ move is estimated to add more than $200 million and 340 jobs in New Mexico, according to forecasts.
The government of New Mexico hopes to electrify more than 5,000 state fleet vehicles through “electric vehicles as a service” solutions, while a separate contract last year could invest $400 million to provide EV fleet electrification covering more than 2,000 school buses and 3,500 state transit vehicles statewide, according to reports.
Among GreenPower Motors’ bus production lines are the Mega and Nano BEAST models. Late last year, the company reported it was accelerating EV school bus production supported by a new financing facility of up to $18 million.
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EnergyTech Staff
Rod Walton is head of content for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.
Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
He can be reached at [email protected].
EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.
Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.