Lion Electric and U.S. department of energy make plans to decarbonize transportation
by CM Staff
The roundtable conversation included discussions on how the $7.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be used to help drive job growth and advance the EV industry.
JOLIET — The Lion Electric Company joined U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, Illinois congressman Bill Foster and Illinois industry, economic and workforce development leaders earlier this week for a roundtable discussion on the transportation sector and zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
“Lion is leading the movement toward the electrification of heavy-duty and school transportation. We put our first all-electric school buses on the road in 2016, and since then our vehicles have covered over 10 million miles in real world conditions,” said Nate Baguio, senior vice president of commercial development at Lion Electric in a statement.
“In order to reach the U.S.’ net-zero emissions goal and combat climate change, the dual decarbonization of the energy and transportation sectors is critical.”
The roundtable conversation included discussions on how the $7.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will be used to help drive job growth, advance the electric vehicle industry and focus on addressing climate change in the U.S.
Nate Baguio represented Lion Electric in the roundtable, discussing the deployment of all-electric heavy-duty trucks and school buses, as well as Lion’s impact on the local Illinois economy and collaboration with the Department of Energy.
In April 2022, Lion signed onto a Memorandum of Understanding with the DOE aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of vehicle-to-everything technologies, including vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-building functionalities.
Lion says it was the only school bus manufacturer selected by the DOE to sign onto the agreement. The company believes Illinois is becoming a hub for the electric vehicle industry.
Lion is also building its 900,000 square foot facility in Joliet, Illinois, representing the company’s largest footprint in the U.S.
