Mirabel, Quebec — Lion Electric, Quebec’s star child of electric innovation, announced the official inauguration of its new battery manufacturing facility in Mirabel on Monday.
Government ministers were on hand for the plant’s official christening on Monday, where executives from Lion laid out their plans for the 175,000 sq.-ft. building, located on the grounds of the YMX International Aerocity just outside Montréal.
When the facility eventually reaches full-scale production, Lion Electric expects to produce batteries for about 14,000 of the medium and heavy-duty vehicles produced at its Saint-Jérôme and Joliet, Ill. manufacturing plants.
Marc Bédard, CEO and founder of Lion Electric, said that this news marks not just a significant milestone in the company’s history, but strengthens its position as a leader in the industry.
“This official opening celebrates the culmination of several years of efforts that now allow us to control the manufacturing and integration of one of the fundamental components in the production of electric vehicles and the electrification of transportation—namely the battery.
“With this new facility, Lion will be able to strengthen its leadership role in the electrification of the transportation ecosystem in Canada and the United States. We look forward to continuing our innovation efforts.”
Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Benoite Charette, who was on-site in Mirabel for the announcement, said “thanks to companies like Lion Electric, Québec can be proud of being a leader in the electrification of transportation.”
“The inauguration of the new battery manufacturing factory is excellent news not only for Québec’s energy transition, but also for the Laurentides region, which will benefit from high-quality jobs.”
The new plant is expected to create about 135 jobs in the local area and its first fully-certified battery pack is set to come off the assembly line at some point in the first half of 2023.
