It was just July of last year when Illinois governor JB Pritzker cut the ribbon at the Lion Electric EV bus plant in Joliet.
At the time, the company touted plans to produce 20,000 electric buses annually – claims that hit noticeable snags almost immediately. Within little more than a year of opening Joliet, Lion had announced four rounds of layoffs company-wide.
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And it appears that things may have gone from bad to worse for Lion. Recent reports state that the bus company will “suspend operations” at the plant, and lay off 400 workers in both the U.S. and Canada. This leaves around 300 workers company-wide tasked with sales, delivery and customer service related to already produced buses.
The layoffs have been characterized as temporary, but there’s a lot riding on what happens next.
Lion has reportedly received a two-week credit extension as it deals with financial problems that have resulted from an inability to meet sales goals.
During this period, Joliet mayor Terry D’Arcy said the company would “evaluate its options, including a potential sale of the business, which could lead to the reopening of the Joliet production site.”
The state of Illinois initially partnered with Lion in an attempt to nurture its goal of becoming an electric vehicle manufacturing hub.
At the time, Gov. Pritzker said the hub would “put Illinois at the forefront of a national movement to transition to zero-emission vehicle use.”
According to CBS News, the Lion Electric plant was the first new vehicle assembly plant to open in the Chicago area since 1965.
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