Canoo announced on Wednesday that it would be building electric vehicle battery modules. The production would be at a renovated facility in MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, Oklahoma. This move is expected to expand the company’s manufacturing and employment. It continues to ramp up its electric vehicle production.
This newly renovated factory will be capable of approximately 320 MWh of battery module capacity, or .320 GWh. The battery facility will be located in the same complex as Canoo’s MegaMicro Factory, which will include a paint shop, body shop, and general assembly plant when it is finished.
Earlier this year, Canoo announced that it would utilize Panasonic as a battery cell supplier. The 100,000-square-foot facility is set to be renovated in Q4, with manufacturing equipment arriving in Q1 2023. Canoo will produce proprietary battery modules on a series of high-capacity assembly lines with state-of-the-art machinery. The company said it has already refined and validated battery module manufacturing processes over the past few months and is waiting for the manufacturing equipment to be delivered to the facility. Chairman and CEO at Canoo Tony Aquila said, “We are accelerating our hiring plans in Pryor with the establishment of our EV Battery Module Manufacturing Facility, which will produce our proprietary battery modules, energy management system, and thermal control technology for our MPP platform.”
Expansion
The Chairman further added, “This is the first building block for Canoo’s production ramp strategy, with more news coming very soon. The location has been strategically selected due to its proximity to our battery cell partner Panasonic and our future MegaMicro factory. In addition, we will be the first EV company to produce our battery modules with Hydro-Power from the Grand River Dam Authority. We will work closely with and hire within the surrounding communities to create an EV Ecosystem in the region.”
Canoo has secured numerous orders for its Lifestyle Delivery Vehicles (LDVs), most notably from Walmart, which ordered 4,500 units earlier this year. The agreement between Canoo and Walmart outlines an option for the supermarket chain to buy up to 10,000 units later. The LDV is expected to be on the road by 2023. Canoo is expected to employ more than 2,000 people at its facilities when completed. The Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle and lifestyle delivery vehicle will be a critical part of Zeeba’s plan to be 50% electrified by Q1 2024, but the vans aren’t only chosen for their EV drivetrains. The large 120 cubic feet of storage, the promise of consistent OTA updates and service, and its tight turning circle were all mentioned as influential factors for the purchase.
