EV maker to bring hundreds of jobs to Mishawaka
MISHAWAKA, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — The previously-announced decision by Michigan-based Electric Last Mile Inc. to establish operations at the former AM General plant in Mishawaka could bring nearly 1,000 jobs to the St. Joseph County city by the end of 2024. The company, which specializes in electric commercial and delivery fleet vehicles, says it will invest more than $300 million into the 675,000-square-foot facility to produce and assemble its electric Urban Delivery vehicle.
The company says it plans to add up to 140 positions, including production, engineering, and administration, by the end of 2021 and ramp up hiring over the next few years.
The expansion remains subject to the company’s $1.4 billion merger with Florida-based investment company Forum Merger III Corp. (Nasdaq: FIII).
“Indiana was a natural choice for us given our product roadmap, the highly-trained and motivated workforce, and the logistics of moving finished goods within the U.S.,” said Jim Taylor, co-founder and chief executive officer of ELMS. “We couldn’t be more pleased to launch our production operations in Indiana.”
ELMS plans to begin production at the Mishawaka facility by the third quarter of 2021. The company says the Urban Delivery vehicle produced at the plant will be the only Class 1 electric vehicle in the U.S.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered Electric Last Mile up to nearly $13 million in conditional tax credits, which the company will not be eligible to claim until Hoosier workers are hired for the new jobs. St. Joseph County will consider additional incentives as well.