Green Automotive Company (GAC), a design, engineering, manufacturing, and sales company, has begun production of an all-electric shuttle bus. The 15- to 23-passenger bus is being manufactured by subsidiary Newport Coachworks at its Riverside, Calif., production facility.

The company has set an introduction date of February 2014 for its first electric bus. Currently, the Riverside facility is fulfilling existing contracts and producing traditional buses, said Ian Hobday, CEO and director of GAC.

The GAC electric buses, Hobday said, will be ideally suited for use in situations where there are regular routes and the vehicles return to their base each day where they can be recharged. Hobday calls this “back to base” use. This can include shuttle and school bus routes, as well as airport loops. Each all-electric shuttle will use an 80kWh electric battery, which will give it a 100-mile range on a single charge.

“The goal is to provide a full day’s use and recharge the battery each night,” Hobday added.

GAC is currently offering compressed natural gas and diesel bus options.