First US-made LionC electric school bus rolls off production line
Lion Electric has sold over 700 electric heavy-duty vehicles in the US since it began its operations in 2010, those vehicles covered over 10 million miles so far. Its clients are Amazon, IKEA, First Student, LA USD, NAtional Express and ZUM. There was just one issue - the company is based out of Montreal, Quebec. That’s where it has its headquarters, R&D center and 200,000 square-foot manufacturing facility.
In May of 2021 Lion Electric chose Joliet in Illinois for its 900,000 square-foot manufacturing base in the US. The factory is the US largest heavy-duty zero-emissions vehicle dedicated facility and the very first school bus just rolled off its production line.
The company doesn’t just manufacture electric vehicles though, it offers a complete solution for companies or schools to upgrade their fleet to be zero-emissions and future-proof. Lion Electric offers charging infrastructure, it helps with securing grants and financing, it offers training for employees and it helps with vehicle maintenance.
The timing of the decision to set up production in the US was perfect. With the new tax incentives announced by the Biden administration, the Lion Electric’s customers will hugely benefit from the trucks and buses being manufactured in the US.
When it comes to school buses, the US government made $5 billion in funding available to schools to help with the fleet upgrades. The first $1 billion has already been awarded to 289 school districts. New York state wants its school buses to be 100 percent electric by 2035. Clearly, the momentum is rising and Lion Electric is in a perfect position to help with the school fleet electrification.
The factory in Joliet will initially focus on school buses due to the demand, the company expects to manufacture 20,000 buses per year once the production is at its full capacity. The school bus fleet in the US is made up of 480,000 vehicles and to achieve the ambitious zero-emissions goals by 2035, one Lion Electric is not enough. But it’s a great start and most importantly - kids on the bus won’t need to breathe in the diesel fumes anymore.
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