Lion Electric inaugurates battery-making factory for medium-, heavy-duty EVs

Electric vehicle manufacturer Lion Electric Co. has inaugurated its new manufacturing factory that will produce lithium-ion batteries for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in Mirabel, Que. The 175,000-sq.-ft. facility will power EVs assembled by the automaker at its Saint-Jérôme, Que., and Joliet, Ill., manufacturing plants.

Following the installation of the initial portion of the battery assembly line in Mirabel, production of the first battery pack was completed at the end of 2022. Final certification of the first battery pack model is expected in the first half of 2023, followed by a gradual production ramp-up.

The first batteries will power the LionC and LionD school buses and the Lion5 trucks. The new facility is targeted to reach a production capacity of 1.7 GWh by the end of the year. At full scale, it should have an annual production capacity of 5 GWh, allowing the automaker to electrify about 14,000 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles per year.