CORONA, CA—Arkansas is the latest nontraditional auto manufacturing state to attract a startup electric vehicle factory. It joins other Southwestern states, such as Arizona and Oklahoma, adding EV production capacity. Envirotech Vehicles Inc. (EVT) plans to build an assembly plant in Osceola, AR, to mass-produce Class 3, 4, 5 and 6 trucks.
“We are confident that Osceola has the perfect business climate and local workforce to allow us to see growth and success in the region as the state’s first commercial electric vehicle manufacturer,” says Phillip Oldridge, CEO of Envirotech Vehicles. “This, and the plant’s location near the Mississippi River with access to the port of Osceola, will be vital as we position EVT to bring new innovation and technology advancements to the state.”
EVT purchased a long-vacant facility from the city of Osceola and intends to initially utilize the plant to handle the final outfitting and shipment of its imported vehicles, while simultaneously converting the factory into a state-of-the-art manufacturing operation.
EVT’s 580,000-square-foot facility will be located near a new U.S. Steel mill that is scheduled to open in 2024. The company claims the $3 billion next-generation operation will be the most sustainable and highly advanced in North America, capable of producing 3 million tons of steel a year.
