The Shyft Group says it is investing $16 million to expand the company’s facilities in Charlotte, Mich., enabling the production of commercial electric vehicles for its Blue Arc EV Solutions brand, launched last year.
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, with Blue Arc bringing a wide range of engineering, manufacturing and technical jobs to Charlotte.
With the expansion, upgrades to facilities, and installation of new equipment, Shyft 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.
“We’re extremely proud to invest in EV production here in our home state of Michigan where our company has been headquartered for nearly 50 years,” says President and CEO Daryl Adams. “We are thankful to be part of the Charlotte community and look forward to bringing the future of fleets to our operations there.”
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).
The Shyft Group focuses on specialty vehicle manufacturing, assembly and upfit for the commercial, retail, and service specialty vehicle markets.