Indiana is very good at making things move. We’re one of the top states in the nation when it comes to automobiles, ranking 6th out of all U.S. states for car exports in 2020 based on data from CoPilot, an online auto sales website. Today, manufacturers in our state are working to make sure we stay that way with the next generation of vehicles coming to market. Hoosier firms want to be number one in the electric vehicle (EV) game, and they’re already charging ahead.
Over the last several months, there have been several major announcements about EV production getting underway. Check out these electrifying developments.
New Toyota and Lexus EV Lines
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (TMMI) is adding two electric vehicles to its Princeton production lines, which will be an $803 million investment that will create about 1,400 new jobs by the end of 2023.
One of the new EVs will be Toyota and the other will be Lexus, which will officially launch the Lexus line at TMMI. The investment will also support employee training and supplier re-tooling at supplier facilities. Production of the new vehicles is expected to begin mid-to-late 2023.
The two all-new vehicles join Toyota’s electrified product portfolio and will help the company get another step closer to its global commitment toward carbon neutrality by 2050. TMMI’s environmental team has invested more than $4 million in carbon dioxide reduction projects with another $2.7 million committed for the coming year.
100,000 Commercial EVs Annually
Electric Last Mile, Inc. (ELMS) is a Troy, MI-based company that focuses on electric commercial and delivery fleet vehicles. The company recently kick-started operations at its new facility in Mishawaka that may result in up to 960 new jobs by the end of 2024
The company invested about $300 million into the 675,500-square-foot former AM General facility to support the production and assembly of the ELMS electric Urban Delivery vehicle. The new EVs are designed to provide last mile solutions for commercial fleet providers. Once launched, the vehicle is expected to be the only Class 1 EV in the U.S.
The plant will have the capacity to manufacture up to 100,000 vehicles annually.
Electric Trucks for Motorsports
Allison Transmission formed a three-year partnership agreement with Team de Rooy, a multiple-race winner of the world-famous Dakar Rally, to develop electric trucks for motorsport competitions. Testing is scheduled to begin on an electric truck equipped with a conventional Allison transmission in early 2022, ahead of the vehicle’s competition debut at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January 2023.
Allison’s 4000 Series fully automatic transmissions will be integrated into Team de Rooy’s new electric truck. Designed for heavy-duty vehicles, the 4000 Series is an easily adopted propulsion solution for applications including construction vehicles, refuse trucks, and fire trucks.
Also, Allison recently expanded its electrification portfolio by introducing the eGen Power series of electric axles for the truck and bus markets. The e-Axles can fit easily into existing truck and bus chassis with minimal modifications.
Retooling Three Production Sites
Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, is investing about $229 million in its Kokomo operations to reconfigure three production facilities for EV production.
The company will be retooling the Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo Casting, and the Indiana Transmission plants to produce electrified, next-generation, eight-speed transmissions. These transmissions will have the flexibility to be paired with internal combustion engines as well as mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid propulsion systems for several Stellantis vehicles.
A portion of the company’s investment will go toward retaining, retraining, and transitioning 662 Kokomo employees into their new manufacturing roles, which would be met with increased wages.
Ready to Roll
No doubt about it, Indiana really is one of the top states when it comes to automobiles. Some of the biggest names in auto making sure are rolling out big EV plans in our state right now. All this activity will help the state maintain its reputation as a leading automaker as we enter the next generation of vehicle production. No matter what type of powertrain vehicles use in the future, Hoosiers will be keeping America on the move.
