LION ELECTRIC JOINS U.S. SECRETARY OF ENERGY JENNIFER GRANHOLM, CONGRESSMAN BILL FOSTER ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSING DECARBONIZATION OF TRANSPORTATION

The meeting covered the future of the transportation sector, including the deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles and supporting infrastructure, as well as energy independence

The Lion Electric Company manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, joined U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, Illinois congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) and Illinois industry, economic and workforce development leaders earlier this week for a roundtable discussion discussing the future of the transportation sector, including the deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles and supporting infrastructure, as well as energy independence.

“This is a proud moment to have U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, speak with us about how we can all work together to tackle climate change by investing in jobs, technologies, processes and products that are better for the environment and future generations. Lion is leading the movement toward the electrification of heavy-duty and school transportation. We put our first all-electric school buses on the road in 2016, and since then our vehicles have covered over 10 million miles in real world conditions,” said Nate Baguio, Senior Vice President of Commercial Development at Lion Electric. “In order to reach the U.S.’ net-zero emissions goal and combat climate change, the dual decarbonization of the energy and transportation sectors is critical. To succeed, industry needs to collaborate closely with the Department of Energy and lawmakers to implement ambitious programs that will speed our transition to a clean economy.”

“At the Department of Energy, because of Congressman Foster’s and others support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have an additional $62 billion to spend on clean energy and infrastructure. That means $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging, for example. Or $10 billion for next generation technologies for carbon capture. $2.5 billion for electric vehicle battery storage, and money for grid as well to be able to make sure to build out the transmission grid to meet the moment,” said Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy.

“I was proud to welcome Secretary Granholm to the 11th District yesterday, and I’m especially grateful she took the time to hear from innovative clean energy companies like Lion Electric about the investments they are making in our Illinois communities. These investments will create good union jobs and allow us to realize the benefit of the cutting-edge energy research that happens at places like Argonne National Laboratory. Not only does this benefit our local economy, but if America is serious about decarbonization and cutting our dependence on foreign fossil fuels, it’s important we support the work being done to research and build the new technologies that will make it possible,” said congressman Bill Foster (IL-11).

The roundtable conversation included discussions on how the $7.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will help drive job growth, advance the electric vehicle industry and focus on addressing climate change in the U.S. Nate Baguio represented Lion Electric in the roundtable, discussing the deployment of all-electric heavy-duty trucks and school buses, as well as Lion’s impact on the local Illinois economy and collaboration with the Department of Energy (“DOE”).

In April 2022, Lion signed onto a Memorandum of Understanding  with the DOE aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of vehicle-to-everything (“V2X”) technologies, including vehicle-to-grid (“V2G”) and vehicle-to-building (“V2B”) functionalities. Lion was the only school bus manufacturer selected by the DOE to sign onto the agreement. Illinois is quickly becoming a leading hub for the electric vehicle industry, and Lion is building its 900,000 square foot facility in Joliet, Illinois, which will be the company’s largest footprint in the U.S. and will support Lion in addressing the increasing demand in the marketplace for “Made in America” zero-emission vehicles.

Along with Lion, participants spoke about the environmental opportunities and issues affecting rural, suburban and urban communities. The roundtable focused on how reducing carbon emissions can help lead to energy neutrality and how green jobs are the future for the manufacturing industry. Additional participants included Parker Meeks, Chief Strategy Officer at Hyzon Motors; Dr. B.J. Johnson, CEO and Co-founder, ClearFlame Engine Technologies; Doug Pryor, President and CEO, Will County Center for Economic Development; Dan Seals, CEO, Intersect Illinois; Lisa Schvach, Executive Director, WorkNet DuPage; Jump Murphy, President and Corporate Business Leader, Invenergy; Dr. Joe Cassidy, Assistant Vice President Economic Development, Dean Continuing Education and Public Services, College of DuPage; and Kevin Burns, Mayor, City of Geneva, Illinois and Chairman, Environment Committee and Energy Subcommittee, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, Chicago.

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