Lion will join Rivian as the second company making EVs in the state. Rivian expects to begin making trucks at a former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill., next month that will employ about 1,000 workers. Headcount is expected to grow to more than 2,500.
“This is a big deal,” Pritzker said at today’s news conference “These are solid manufacturing jobs. This presents enormous opportunity for the state of Illinois, not just with Lion Electric, but also the Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers that will be looking to locate near EV manufacturers like Rivian and Lion Electric.”
Lion and Rivian are betting big on a move toward electric vehicles that create less pollution than conventional cars, trucks and buses. Amazon has made commitments to purchase vehicles from both companies.
“This significant expansion into the U.S. market will not only allow us to drastically increase our overall manufacturing capacity of electric trucks and buses but to also better serve our customers, while adding critical clean manufacturing jobs that will form the backbone of the green economy,” Bedard said in a statement.