Canada-based Lion Electric Company plans to build the largest electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the U.S., a decision that is receiving praise statewide and could create hundreds of new jobs.
Lion Electric will build a 90,000-square-feet plant in Will County that will produce approximately 20,000 zero-emission, medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles (EVs) annually and will be the company's largest dedicated production facility in America. The $70-million facility should open in the second half of 2022.
"Lion Electric is bringing its first US production facility to Illinois," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a May 7 Facebook post. "Here's the impact it will have: $70M investment, 745 new jobs, largest all-electric commercial vehicle production plant in the US and adds to our growing ecosystem of EV manufacturers and suppliers."
To help the company with the decision to move to Will County, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DECO) worked with Intersect Illinois to put together a virtual and in-person site selection visit that included "economic analysis, and coordination with local officials and utilities to develop a comprehensive proposal for Lion Electric," the release said.
"This puts Illinois at the forefront of a national movement to transition to zero-emission vehicle use, advancing our own goals of putting 1 million of these cars on the road by 2030. We're excited to welcome Lion to the Land of Lincoln and look forward to their future success here," Pritzker said.
Will County was selected as it already is rich in manufacturing and offers Lion Electric a geographically centralized base for manufacturing and operations with key access to distribution channels.
Lion Electric plans to build a local supply chain in addition to the facility and will be working with local officials to apply for additional incentives, the release said.
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