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BUSINESS
Canadian EV vehicle company commits to Santa Teresa
Manufacturing facility and U.S. headquarters to open in June
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An economic development project years in the making is coming to Santa Teresa after fears it would be scuttled altogether.
Vancouver, Canada-based GreenPower Motor Co. will establish its U.S. corporate headquarters and a manufacturing facility in the fast-growing industrial area south of Las Cruces and adjacent to Sunland Park and El Paso, Texas.
The company builds and distributes zero-emission service vehicles including all-electric school buses currently in service in Las Vegas and Santa Fe under a pilot program. Ultimately, it anticipates more than 340 jobs to be based there.
New Mexico closed the deal with a combined $14.6 million in incentives, including a $5 million award from Local Economic Development Act funds, $4.6 million in job training incentive funds and over $5 million from rural and high-wage job tax credit programs. In turn, the project is estimated to add $200 million in statewide economic impact.
“Establishing GreenPower’s new manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa marks a significant milestone in our expansion and commitment to safe, sensible, sustainable transportation solutions,” GreenPower CEO Fraser Atkinson said in a written statement. “This strategic move leverages the region’s highly skilled and dedicated workforce, which has long been recognized as a key driver of economic growth and innovation in southern New Mexico.”
Negotiations with the Border Industrial Association and the state Economic Development Department to bring GreenPower Motors to Santa Teresa were two years in the making; but during 2025, the deal was placed on hold as President Donald Trump’s administration put new tariffs into effect, including 50% duties on steel and aluminum from China. For manufacturing in the border region near El Paso, Santa Teresa and Ciudad Juárez, where components in industries such as automobile manufacturing may cross the border multiple times, the impacts on supply chains were steep.
In a letter to Border Industrial Association members last week, BIA President Jerry Pacheco said GreenPower Motors “moved much of its production of components to Malaysia, which made the deal viable again. The state then decided to participate in the deal via its Local Economic Development Act closing fund. … We are working with the company to ensure that they are up and running by June 2026.”
The company did not confirm the adjustments or respond to queries from the Journal.
The plant will be situated in a 135,000-square-foot building at the Santa Teresa Gateway Rail Park, which is connected to the Union Pacific Railroad’s Intermodal Complex.
Davin Lopez, who heads the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, celebrated the arrival of a project that “brings high-quality manufacturing jobs and long-term career opportunities, strengthening our advanced manufacturing base and reinforcing the NMBorderplex region’s role as a destination for sustainable growth.”
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On top of the economic impact, New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rob Black said in a written statement that GreenPower Motors’ presence might help with implementing the state’s carbon emission goals, pending how the electric school buses perform under current two-year pilot projects underway, and establish New Mexico as a hub for a green cargo and passenger vehicle sector.
“The electric school bus pilot project was an important first step in bringing GreenPower manufacturing and their high-quality jobs to New Mexico,” Black stated. “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.”
The company has pledged to offer dealer-cost pricing to New Mexico for a fleet of zero-emission commercial vehicles such as box and refrigerated tricks, vans, buses and more for various agencies.
While the Trump administration has sought to put the brakes on renewable energy development, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was bullish in a statement welcoming the company to Doña Ana County.
“With this strategic investment, we’re creating high-quality jobs and strengthening our economy while building the carbon-free energy future New Mexico’s families deserve,” she stated in a news release.
Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal's southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.
