Photo: Lion Electric
Lion Electric announced that it would build an all-electric urban vehicle factory in Joliet, Illinois, which will become the largest plant for zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the U.S.
The “zero-emissions” trend is not just about personal vehicles but also about public transport vehicles and freight fleets, which are some of the biggest contributors to the overall carbon-emission rate. The U.S. market is heading towards the electrification of school bus fleets, as well as freight truck fleets. On the other hand, the demand for all-electric vehicles made in America is also increasing.
That is why Lion Electric, a company that specializes in manufacturing electric commercial trucks and school buses, believes that it’s time for a large facility dedicated to electric medium-duty vehicles to be built in the U.S. It selected Illinois as the state where it will build this new facility, following an initial investment of $70 million delivered over a three-year period.
The 900,000-sq-ft (83,612-sq-meter) factory will be able to manufacture up to 20,000 all-electric buses and trucks per year. According to Lion Electric, the Illinois plant’s construction is set to begin in the second half of this year, and it will probably deliver its first medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by the end of 2022.
The Illinois government is also pleased to begin this collaboration. On the one hand, the new Lion Electric factory will help local officials reach their goal of having one million all-electric vehicles on the road by 2030. And, on the other hand, this opportunity will bring 745 jobs to the region within the next three years.
Plus, Lion Electric plans include more than just a factory. The company intends to gradually create a local supply chain within the Will County area, for electric trucks and buses that are produced locally from start to finish. This way, the Joliet location becomes a strategic base that provides access to local infrastructure and a distribution chain.
That is why Lion Electric, a company that specializes in manufacturing electric commercial trucks and school buses, believes that it’s time for a large facility dedicated to electric medium-duty vehicles to be built in the U.S. It selected Illinois as the state where it will build this new facility, following an initial investment of $70 million delivered over a three-year period.
The 900,000-sq-ft (83,612-sq-meter) factory will be able to manufacture up to 20,000 all-electric buses and trucks per year. According to Lion Electric, the Illinois plant’s construction is set to begin in the second half of this year, and it will probably deliver its first medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by the end of 2022.
The Illinois government is also pleased to begin this collaboration. On the one hand, the new Lion Electric factory will help local officials reach their goal of having one million all-electric vehicles on the road by 2030. And, on the other hand, this opportunity will bring 745 jobs to the region within the next three years.
Plus, Lion Electric plans include more than just a factory. The company intends to gradually create a local supply chain within the Will County area, for electric trucks and buses that are produced locally from start to finish. This way, the Joliet location becomes a strategic base that provides access to local infrastructure and a distribution chain.
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