Electric vehicle company’s $41 million expansion in Charlotte will bring 250 jobs
The British electric vehicle company Arrival will spend over $41 million to set up its second microfactory in the area in west Charlotte, creating 250 jobs, officials announced Wednesday.
The announcement by the city of Charlotte is the latest move by the London-based company that already is bringing hundreds of jobs to the Carolinas. That includes opening its first U.S. microfactory in Rock Hill, and its North American headquarters in Charlotte’s South End.
Arrival’s second U.S. microfactory will be at Meadow Commerce Center, near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to the city. Microfactories have a smaller footprint than typical factories because Arrival uses in-house developed hardware and software combined with assembly.
“Their decision to locate their microfactory in west Charlotte will have a major impact on our residents, bringing new, well-paying career opportunities to the neighborhood,” said Mayor Vi Lyles, in the news release.
The new facility will produce two classes of electric vehicle vans, expanding the zero-emissions options for fleet operators, Michael Ableson, CEO of Arrival Automotive, said in the release. “(We) believe we will continue to see strong demand for our vehicles as more operators transition to electric,” he said.
The Charlotte site will assemble up to 10,000 commercial electric delivery vans annually, initially for UPS. Production is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2022.
This will help UPS deploy electric vehicles throughout its global operations at an increasing pace, said Luke Wake, vice president of maintenance and engineering for UPS Corporate Automotive.
Arrival arrives in the Carolinas
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, Arrival has more than 1,5000 employees.
Last fall, Arrival said it would open its first U.S. microfactory facility in Rock Hill to produce electric buses.
In December, the company announced it would set up its North American headquarters in South End. The office is expected to open in the late spring or summer, the Observer previously reported.
The latest announcement means that Arrival will have over 900 jobs in the Charlotte region, between its Rock Hill and west Charlotte microfactories, and its local headquarters.
The new Charlotte microfacility also builds on the city’s Strategic Energy Action Plan, which outlines strategies for clean energy focused on transportation, buildings, and workforce development.
Arrival, along with Alisyn Malek, executive director at the Commission for the Future of Mobility, and Janet Labar, president and CEO at Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, will host a LinkedIn Live event at 10 a.m. Thursday to discuss the latest announcement.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Electric vehicle company’s $41 million expansion in Charlotte will bring 250 jobs."