July 21, 2023

Duckworth, Durbin Celebrate Grand Opening of Lion Electric

Canadian-based manufacturer expected to have capacity to produce 2,500 all-electric school busses by end of 2023

 

[CHANNAHON, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Lion Electric and local leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the manufacturer’s 900,000 square foot facility in Will County. This 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, which is estimated to support more than 1,000 jobs. Duckworth and Durbin today were joined by U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, EPA Region 5 Director Debra Shore, Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy and other leaders. Photos from today’s event are available here.

“Lion Electric is a good example of the future of manufacturing,” Duckworth said. “It’s fitting they’ve chosen Illinois as their home for this manufacturing facility, because Illinois is where the future of manufacturing will happen. Supporting green manufacturing and green energy benefits us all in so many ways – we’re creating jobs, saving money and developing a more sustainable, safer and healthier world not just for ourselves but for our kids and generations to come.”

“Lion Electric is transforming the transportation landscape, reducing carbon emissions, and embracing sustainable solutions that will benefit our communities and the environment for years to come,” said Durbin. “This momentous occasion showcases Illinois as a true leader in the electric vehicle revolution, where innovation and commitment converge to drive positive change.”

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Duckworth and Durbin supported, our country is investing in and creating a green energy future. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated more than $62 billion through the U.S. Department of Energy to invest in American manufacturing and workers, expand access to energy efficiency and reliable, affordable, clean energy for families, communities and businesses and build the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy demonstrations. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also created the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Clean School Bus Program, which supports replacing existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Duckworth is committed to positioning Illinois on a global and sharing how our state is uniquely prepared for greater investment, including from our international partners. She traveled to Japan and Indonesia in February to strengthen economic ties and grow foreign investment in the United States and last year, she traveled to South Korea and Taiwan where she met with business, government and trade leaders, which helped lead to a joint venture between Illinois’s ADM and South Korea’s LG Chem.

Lion Electric is a manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. The company creates, designs and manufactures all-electric class 5 to class 8 commercial urban trucks and all-electric buses and minibuses for the school, paratransit and mass transit segments.

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