Lion Electric has taken possession of its new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Joliet, Ill., and will soon install equipment in expectations of producing its first vehicles there later this year.

The plant will be capable of producing up to 20,000 vehicles per year. Lion also announced two new hirings.

Richard Coulombe has been named senior vice-president, strategic initiatives and will be charged with leading Lion’s growth and strategic initiatives at the Joliet plant, as well as a Lion Campus in Mirabel, Que.

Eric Pansegrau has named general manager of the new Joliet plant. He was most recently vice-president of operations of the wheel-end division of Accuride.

“2022 is set to be the biggest year yet for Lion, with major projects underway, and Lion continues to remain on schedule to begin production in the United States in 2022. Our production from the Joliet plant will support the national demand for zero-emission electric school buses, paratransit buses and trucks ranging from Class 5 to Class 8,” said Marc Bedard, CEO and founder, Lion Electric. “I am pleased to welcome Richard and Eric to the company, and we look forward to continuing the build out and equipment installation in Joliet throughout the year as we prepare for production to come online.”