Lion Electric opens largest U.S electric manufacturing facility for vehicle production
by CM staff
Located about an hour from Chicago, the facility is expected to have a manufacturing capacity of 2,500 electric school buses at the end of 2023.
Photo: Lion Electric.
JOLIET — The Lion Electric Company held its official opening ceremony of its 900,000 square-foot Joliet, Illinois facility – the largest all-electric U.S. plant dedicated to medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle production.
Located about an hour from Chicago, the facility is expected to have a manufacturing capacity of 2,500 all-electric school buses at the end of 2023. At full scale, the plant has an estimated production capacity of 20,000 vehicles per year in a combination of both buses and trucks, which the company estimates should require around 1,400 skilled workers.
Lion Electric chose Illinois for the state’s resources and for its central proximity.
“We are at the forefront of a manufacturing rebirth in the United States, and together with Governor J.B. Pritzker and his team, industry stakeholders and EV advocates, we are creating the next era of transportation in the Midwest, with a critical need to reduce carbon emissions, strengthen the region’s economic vitality, and support sustainability,” said Marc Bédard, CEO-Founder of Lion Electric.
The official opening included a tour of Lion’s new school bus production line, a truck and bus ride, and exploring innovative all-electric bodied-up Lion truck applications that were on display.
Argonne National Laboratory and Joliet Junior College, which are partnering with Lion on research programs and workforce training and development, were also present at the celebration.
