Can the old GM factory in Lordstown, Ohio, become the focal point of the electric vehicle future?
Lordstown Motors has taken over the sprawling site of the Lordstown plant, closed by GM last March, amid protests by workers and critics of big business.
Lordstown Motors plans to build electric trucks starting late next year, at the place where Chevys were built for decades by thousands of workers.
It’s one of the few auto plants to continue building vehicles after a change in ownership.
Production will start with a full-sized pickup, then a mid-sized truck, and then a commercial-industrial utility vehicle.
The former head of manufacturing for Tesla is running the plant.
The company has said it wants to hire from the laid-off pool of workers. But no firm plans have been made.
400 workers will be hired initially.
Near the plant, GM will operate a battery factory. Other start-ups are active in Northeast Ohio. E-V technology is using a symbol of the auto rust belt to jump-start the new growing sector of the industry.