Lion Electric Expands Battery Manufacturing in Canada

Lion Electric has announced the official inauguration of its new manufacturing facility in Mirabel, Canada.

This factory, spanning 175,000 square feet and located at the YMX International Aerocity, will be the first of its kind in Canada, producing lithium-ion batteries for medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles.

These batteries will power electric vehicles assembled at Lion's manufacturing plants in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, and Joliet, Illinois.

In the presence of Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and Benoit Charrette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, this event brought together various Lion stakeholders, including:

• Customers.
• Employees.
• Partners.
• Members of the electrification of the transportation ecosystem in North America.

Electrifying 14,000 Vehicles Per Year

Following the completion of 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 in 2023.

The first Lion batteries will serve to power the LionC and LionD school buses and the Lion5 trucks.

The new facility is targeted to reach a production capacity of 1.7 gigawatt-hours by the end of the year.

At full scale, it should have an annual production capacity of 5-gigawatt hours. This would enable Lion to electrify approximately 14,000 medium and heavy-duty vehicles per year, depending on the vehicle mix.

Lion’s Growth Throughout the Years

Lion Electric has already made significant strides in the North American transportation industry, with over 950 all-electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles delivered, collectively covering more than 10 million miles (16 million kilometers).

These vehicles are purpose-built for electric propulsion and are manufactured at Lion's facilities in North America. With the new factories in Quebec and Illinois expected to reach full capacity, Lion anticipates the ability to manufacture 22,500 electric buses and trucks annually.

Through vertical integration of battery system components, Lion Electric, which currently employs approximately 1,400 people, aims to further strengthen its leadership position in the North American transportation industry.