The first US-made LionC zero-emission electric school bus rolls off the factory line in Illinois
As electric school buses gain momentum across the US, Lion Electric announced Wednesday it produced its first “made in America” LionC zero-emission EV school bus at its Joliet, Illinois factory.
In May 2021, Lion Electric selected Joliet, Illinois, to be the home of its future US manufacturing facility. The 900,000-square-foot plant was touted as the largest dedicated production site of zero-emission medium and heavy-duty EVs in the US.
Lion Electric was a first mover in fully electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles like EV school buses with over 12 years of experience now.
Even before the “all in” mindset spread across the globe on EVs and zero-emission technology to limit the transportation sector’s environmental impact, Lion was entirely focused on electrification. The company’s dedication has paid off, with over 700 electric vehicles on the road 10 million miles utilizing its platforms.
Lion has several major clients across North America for its electric trucks (Amazon, Ikea) and buses (First Student, LA USD, STA, National Express, ZUM).
To help customers convert to electricity, Lion offers a complete turnkey solution, including EV selection, supporting charging infrastructure, grants assistance, financing, training, maintenance, and communications.
Until now, Lion has manufactured its electric vehicles at its dedicated 200,000-square-foot facility near Montreal, Quebec, which also serves as its headquarters and R&D center. With the site having a 2,500 EV annual production capacity, Lion is expanding its manufacturing footprint to assist the growing demand for electric school buses in the US with its Joliet factory.
During its second-quarter earnings, Lion said it was on track to produce its first electric school buses at its US-based factory by the end of the year, and today the company is making good on that claim.
The first Lion electric school bus produced in the US
“Today is a significant milestone for Lion,” Eric Pansegrau, GM of Lion’s Joliet factory, states as the first LionC electric school bus rolls off the line.
With the recent US climate and funding initiatives, Lion Electric is “well-positioned to support school districts with their transition,” offering their complete network approach. For example, the EPA Clean School Bus program (part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) supplies $5 billion in funding to accelerate the electric school bus rollout in the US. The first round of nearly $1 billion was just awarded to 289 school districts.
On top of this, several cities and states have committed to EV school buses, such as New York, which intends to electrify 100% of its school bus fleet by 2035.
Mr. Pansegrau continued:
We are excited to now be entering the ramp-up phase of production, with an initial focus on the all-electric LionC school bus. We will spare no effort in the gradual scale-up of manufacturing, which we anticipate will be spread out over the next few quarters.
Lion expects its Joliet factory to have an annual production capacity of 20,000 electric buses and trucks after it scales its manufacturing operations. The site will first focus on electric school buses to meet the surging demand.
Electrek’s Take
Lion Electric producing its first EV school bus in the US is a remarkable accomplishment for the company and the overall transition to fully electric vehicles.
As my colleague Fred Lambert said, Lion serves as the perfect example showcasing how companies can embrace the shift to electric vehicles. Lion was relatively small compared to other school bus manufacturers, but its early focus on electric propulsion has propelled them to emerge as a leading school bus maker across North America.
With the LionC E school bus now being produced in the US, I hope it can accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles for school districts.
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The BYD “Shenzhen” set sail on its first voyage overseas this week. With 9,200 parking spots, or about enough to fill 20 football fields, BYD’s new car transport ship is now the world’s largest.
BYD’s largest car carrier sets sail for Brazil
BYD’s Shenzhen is on its maiden voyage to Brazil after setting sail on April 27. The vessel is carrying over 7,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It’s the largest single batch of NEVs exported from China so far.
The new vessel is BYD’s fourth car transport ship and the world’s largest, capable of carrying 9,000 vehicles. According to the company, that’s enough to fill about 20 football fields.
BYD launched its first car carrier, the Explorer No 1, in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
Its second, the BYD Changzhou, set sail in December 2024, followed by the Hefei earlier this year. All three vessels can carry up to 7,000 vehicles, making the Shenzhen the largest so far.
The Shenzhen is named after the automaker’s hometown and demonstrates “BYD’s firm determination to promote sustainable development in Brazil.”
BYD is preparing to launch two more vessels, the Changsha and Xi’an. The Changsha is expected to launch soon, while the Xi’an was introduced on April 2.
The new car carriers will help accelerate BYD’s aggressive overseas expansion. In the first three months of 2025, the company sold over 206,000 NEVs overseas, more than double the number it sold last year.
BYD sells a wide range of vehicles in Brazil, including the low-cost Dolphin Mini, starting at around $20,000 (99,800 BRL). In October, it launched its first hybrid pickup truck, the Shark, starting at 379,800 BTL ($66,900).
Brazil is only one overseas market that BYD is targeting. BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe in 2025, with significant growth in other key regions like Southeast Asia, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, to name a few.
Source: BYD
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‘Tesla homes’ in a Houston neighborhood where all the homes have Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls went for sale.
7 out of the 11 homes have reportedly already sold.
Tesla neighborhood is a term that is being used for new developments where all the homes integrate all or part of Tesla’s power ecosystem, including the Powerwall home battery pack.
The best example is a giant new development project in Austin, Texas, by Brookfield Asset Management and Dacra in which up to 12,000 new homes are to be built and offering Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls.
However, since the announcement, it looks like only some of the homes in the new neighborhood have Tesla energy systems.
In 2022, Tesla also announced a similar project in Las Vegas.
A year later, the company claimed to have deployed “over 600 solar neighborhoods” worldwide, with a total capacity exceeding 100 MW.
One such ‘Tesla neighborhood’ is a small block of 11 townhouse homes featuring Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls in Houston, Texas.
The homes were recently completed and went on sale, starting at $544,900.
Here are some pictures from the listings:
Utopia Homes, the developer behind the project, described the properties (via Chron):
Step into modern elegance expertly crafted by Utopia Homes. This property showcases groundbreaking Tesla Solar Roof Shingles and Power Wall technology, ensuring 100% energy security and eliminating electric bills for a truly sustainable lifestyle.
The house has proved popular according to the real estate agents, with 7 out of 11 homes already sold.
As we recently reported, Tesla’s solar roofs have proven to be a more expensive and niche product than the company previously presented.
Tesla has largely stopped discussing it, but it is still being deployed through some third-party installers, such as in this case, on new homes.
However, its Powerwall product remains a very popular solution for homeowners seeking greater energy independence and protection against outages, which have been a frequent problem in Texas.
More homeowners are turning to generators, and alternatives like home battery packs are gaining popularity.
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Canadian electric propulsion specialist Vision Marine continues to graduate beyond advanced outboard motors into a provider of all-electric boats. This month, Vision introduced two new electric pontoon boats – the 12-passenger V24 and 15-passenger V30, each capable of a range up to 90 nautical miles.
Vision Marine Technologies ($VMAR) is a Canadian technology company with over 25 years of experience in the marine industry. The company made waves (literally) by introducing its E-Motion turnkey powertrain system, which it has since integrated into a catamaran speedboat, which set a speed record of 109 mph in 2022.
Since then, Vision has introduced six hp two-cruiser vessels – the Fantail 217 and Volt 180, each capable of transporting 10 passengers via its E-Motion technology. Most recently, Vision Marine has integrated the full power of its 180 hp electric powertrain technology into two additional vessels, both electric pontoon boats.
Earlier this month, the company officially began sales of the Vision V24 and V30, which you can view below.
Vision Marine brings power and range to electric pontoons
According to Vision Marine Technologies, orders for its two new electric pontoon boats are now open, and they are touting the same E-Motion technology that put the company on the map a few years ago.
The first model is the V24, a 12-passenger electric pontoon that is 24′ 8″ in length and has 180 hp. The ultra-quiet E-Motion powertrain is powered by a standard 43 kWh marine battery pack, offering 40 nautical miles (46 miles) of all-electric range on a single charge. For added range, Vision sells a version of the electric pontoon with a second battery pack, totaling 86 kWh and delivering up to 90 nautical miles (104 miles) of range.
While the V24 offers more of a classic attempt at the pontoon boat, Vision’s additional new vessel, the all-electric V30, is a tad sportier and provides room for more passengers aboard (15). This 30′ vessel features the same E-Motion powertrain options, complete with the same two battery configurations to offer the same ranges as the V24.
However, the V30 has additional features such as 4 x 6.5″ interior speakers and cool-touch seats. Both models feature an integrated onboard charger that supports both 120- 240V (30 to 50 amps) for seamless charging, no matter the dock plug while moored.
The Vision V24 starts at $99,995 for the standard battery pack version, while the V30 starts at a higher price of $139,995. As previously mentioned, both electric pontoon boats are available to order today.
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