Illinois Valley Times

Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) happily introduced Lion Electric Company, an electric vehicle company in Canada, in its premiere manufacturing facility in the United States. It will be housed in Will County.

Lion Electric is slated to put $70 million into the facility, marking the largest in the country at 900,000 square feet, according to Senator Joyce’s website. 

“I am pleased to welcome Lion Electric to Will County, as it will add to our state’s industry-leading capabilities,” Senator Joyce wrote in a Facebook post. “This facility will allow us to increase our contribution to the local economy and provide employment opportunities in our community.”

Illinois State Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) | Facebook

The new center will create nearly jobs, and will begin filling positions sooner rather than later. The company is also on track to make 20,000 electric vehicles a year, ABC 7 reported.

The Joliet community will benefit from it greatly as the plant is already being built there. The location was selected thanks to its closeness to highways and railways. 

Senator John Connor (D-Joliet) told ABC 7 of the new jobs coming to the area, "These are future-proof jobs, these aren't jobs that come and go. They're not temporary jobs. These are jobs, you know that are looking at a clean renewable future."

The plant is anticipated to come online in the latter half of 2022.