The Shyft Group will build Blue Arc Commercial EVs in Michigan

The Shyft Group plans to invest in and expand the company’s facilities in Charlotte, Mich., which will enable the production of commercial electric vehicles for its Blue Arc EV Solutions brand, launched last year. The Shyft Group will invest approximately $16 million for expansion and improvements in facilities as well as new equipment related to the production of EVs.

The Charlotte campus, with seven facilities, is currently home to multiple Shyft product lines, including walk-in delivery vans, motorhome chassis and work truck chassis. The addition of Blue Arc EV production will help support the company’s previous commitment toward employment levels on the Charlotte campus, the company says.

With the expansion, upgrades to facilities, and installation of new equipment, Shyft says it will have the capacity to produce up to 3,000 EVs per year in Charlotte. The company previously announced an initial customer pre-order for 2,000 Class 3, 4 and 5 all-electric delivery vehicles.

The Shyft Group’s expansion is being supported by co-investment and business incentives from the city of Charlotte, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Honda Motor announced plans to build a comprehensive EV value chain in Canada with an approximate investment of $15 billion CAD (approx. $11 billion USD), including investment by joint venture partners, to strengthen its EV supply system and capability to prepare for a future increase in EV demand in North America. Honda said it has begun evaluating the requirements to build a Honda EV plant and a stand-alone Honda EV battery plant in Alliston, Ontario. The proposed Honda EV value chain will also include a cathode active material and precursor (CAM/pCAM) processing plant through a joint venture partnership with POSCO Future M Co. and a separator plant through a joint venture partnership with Asahi Kasei Corporation, with announcements to follow in its respective Ontario communities.